Reading On

How often do people still read these days?

Every morning, I relish in the fact that I need not wake-up early in the morning just to rush myself and be off to a place of work. Being self-employed for the past months have liberated me from the stress and panic of having to force myself out of the bed even just as the sun is peering through the east, then battling Manila's undying traffic just to time-in on time. These days, I get to do one of the many things I love best: lingering in my bed in the morning, staying a few extra hours to catch morning tv or watch a movie on my laptop.

So one morning while I was posting a photo on instagram on the movie I was watching, I suddenly looked to my bed side and saw a couple of books that I have placed there. It was meant for me to read those before going to bed. I realized that I still have quite a number of books left unread or waiting to be finished. Though most of the current books I have are inspirational, business, or something related to my profession, I was gently reminded of how much I enjoy reading.

My sister told me to download an application on my android phone that will allow me to read through books using my phone. That way, I wouldn't need to bring a book with me anymore and I can just browse through a number of books all stored in my phone. Still, I was very hesitant to do so mainly because I didn't want to complicate the use of my phone - and reading e-books on my phone will surely drain my battery. Stubborn or conservative as it may sound, I prefer leafing through pages, eagerly waiting to start on top as I read through it, line per line, until I've reached the end of the page.

When I engross myself in a book - and also magazines at that - I find myself reflecting on what I read and actually imbibing the message a lot easier and faster. I feel like I am transported to my very own world where I relate to what I read and find something useful or interesting in it. Reading gives me a quiet time where I can be relaxed to clear my head from everything and anything that bothers me. And what's best in all this is the chance I have to learn in the process. After going through an entire book,  I can share the book or impart the thoughts written in the book with someone else - hoping that my time in flipping through every page, while gaining knowledge through reading, has a similar effect of inspiring others, turning their experience equally fruitful.

With the number of books and magazines still waiting to be opened, I think I may need to change my daily morning habit of watching people in a screen acting their supposed daily lives and shift to a personal quest of discovering something new in the many things that I read.