It Might be the Most Underrated Hobby
Reading has become a lost art. In a world designed around short, digestible posts on social media, our attention spans can only handle what we can read quickly as we scroll by. Even this post is designed to be long enough to say something meaningful and worthy of your time but short enough to keep your attention. But reducing reading to what I can consume in 280 characters or less is not reading...not really. At least not what I mean by reading.
Reading. Getting lost in a story. The words on a page become a movie playing in your mind. Characters you create. Stories that bring tears to your eyes or a smile to your face. Reading quietly in a corner, and you suddenly laugh out loud. Stories that get so intense and suspenseful that you can’t read fast enough or put the book down. Stories so bizarre you need to reread them to make sure you read that right.
Growing up, I was not a reader and certainly did not consider it a hobby. To be honest, I hated reading. This was for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I had a hard time connecting with the story. I thought, “Why read a book when you can just watch a movie?” So my parents challenged me to watch the movie and then read the book. And then tell them which was better. Which one had a better, more engaging plot, better character development, etc.? The more I read, the more I began to appreciate all that books could do that movies couldn’t. A week spent in a book tells a better story than two hours in a movie - the book is almost always better than the movie.
I now have a deeper appreciation for the narrative development and characters than I ever did. Because watching a movie is a passive experience, reading is active. When you’re watching a movie, that’s it. You’re just watching. When you’re reading, you become part of the story. You’re engaged.
So if you are a reader, keep at it. It might be the world’s greatest hobby. If you’re not, you can be. Start by doing what I did. Watch a great movie that was based on a book. Then read the book. Compare notes and repeat. Chances are you will quickly get addicted to turning page after page. You’ll start taking the book everywhere with you. Read every chance you get. Tune out the world and get lost in the world the author has created.
If you have no other hobbies, this one is a must.
Challenges/Points:
Reading can be a challenging hobby for a lot of people, especially with busy schedules. But well worth carving out the time to get lost in a story.
Even if you weren’t a reader growing up, you can still become a reader.
If you don’t know where to start, start reading the book one of your favorite movies is based on. Have some fun comparing the similarities and differences.
Questions:
Even if you’re not a big reader, what are some of your favorite things to read?
What type of stories interest you the most?
What is one short and straightforward book you could pick up right now and get started?
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