Why I Make Time for Reading

When I was growing up, I loved to read. Picking up a book transported me to another world. I was able to make myself part of the story I was reading--a sort of escape from the real world where I felt like I didn’t quite fit in. At one point, I read the books I could get my hands on so quickly that my parents had to put a time limit on how long I could read a day.

I devoured novels. But then college happened and suddenly my time was consumed with journals and textbooks and other academic reading. My brain couldn't handle any more books, even for pleasure. I didn’t read for enjoyment for almost 10 years.

It took my daughter being born for me to rediscover my love for reading. Nursing and pumping left me watching a LOT of television. And all that television left my brain feeling like it was rotting--I honestly felt like I was losing brain cells from the vast amounts of TV I was watching (thank you Netflix and Hulu!). So I picked up a book and started reading.

Suddenly I was through the whole Harry Potter series in just under six weeks. I read them on my Kindle app on my iPhone or on my computer. I went through a ton more novels while I pumped at work. But once I finished pumping and nursing my girl, I had a hard time reading.

I would still read occasionally on my iPhone or Kindle, but not nearly as often as I wanted--I just didn’t have the time between working full-time and having a toddler. But when I discovered minimalism, and got rid of most of my daughters books just because I didn’t want to store them, I made an effort to take her to the library every few weeks because she, like me, loves stories and reading. And I started reading again. I would pick a novel or two each time we went so that she would see me reading real books, and not just on my phone.

Then, I got pregnant and was forced to rest, and I started reading more. It was almost like a game to see how long it would take me to get through a book (and not neglect being a wife, a mom, or a working professional). I make lists of books I wanted to read and fell in love with the digital lending library offered through the local library (hello! I could borrow books at any time without even leaving the house!).

When I had my second daughter, I knew that there would be time to zone out and watch television, but I didn’t want to fall into the same brain-dead feeling I felt when I was nursing and pumping for daughter number one, so I made sure to pick some books. Over my four months of maternity leave, I was able to read about twenty books (although, I will admit a few of those were audiobooks!).

This was something I needed. Not just because I love to read. Not just because I didn’t want to ONLY rot my brain (because, let’s face it! As moms, it is sometimes NECESSARY to rot our brains with a good binge watch on Hulu or Netflix!). But because reading connected me to my imagination.

Reading exercises my brain in the same way it did when I was a kid. I’m able to be transported into the stories I read, connect with the characters I read about, and experience life in ways I haven’t before. It’s not that I don’t love my life. It’s because sometimes those stories help me to love my life even more.

So, as a mom who works, I make sure to make time for reading. It’s a way I relax. It is a form of self-care. And really, it’s not terrible that it also teaches my kids that reading is fun! So, pardon me while I go off and finish my next novel.