Funny little story … when I was a little girl I loved to read. I had these wonderful storybooks called big little books. I still have them all these years later. 

Then I went to school and my love of reading left me. It got sucked right out of me. At school we had to read specific things that were not of interest to me. We were required to read out loud which I disliked that even more because I was teased. The teasing was because I would get nervous and self-conscious which made me stumble over the words. Reading books at school meant there were deadlines that I could never seem to make. I’m not a fast reader and this made completing the book in designated times almost impossible. It also meant that my teachers pointed out English class (reading and writing) wasn’t for me.

It wasn’t until I was in University that my love of reading reappeared. I found books I enjoyed reading. It was brilliant because now I could choose books that allowed me to travel to all sorts of places and times. I could let my imagination run wild and all was good. I still got teased that I was a slow reader but by that time my brain just said “yep I know” and kept going. However, at that point in my life, I didn’t let the teasing stop me from reading. Instead, I just kept looking for more books to read.

What I discovered as I kept reading was that speed wasn’t important. Because for me I wanted to be enveloped in the story. I wanted to be transported to faraway lands. I so enjoy reading a book and letting the scenes dance their way through my imagination. The other thing I discovered is yes I might read slower than others but I have an immense capacity to remember details in books I’ve read. I can recall stories for some time after I have read them. 

I think it is important to encourage children to read but to read things that excite them and they are interested in. I read all the time now. I read varied genres and enjoy them all because I read for the love of reading. I still don’t read extremely quickly but as an adult, I don’t care. I only wish as a child, young adult, and through my early adult years I hadn’t cared either but that my dear friends is part of my journey and as you know I wouldn’t change that either.