I saw a meme over the weekend that both made me chuckle and ponder about our relationship with books. The meme questioned the legitimacy of the act of reading because when you think about it, reading a printed book is just looking at a piece of a dead tree while hallucinating visions about the words. Whether you are a casual reader, a lover of fiction, or a devoted reader, this meme provides truth about our relationship with books.
What is it about reading that compels us to actively search out new books to read and get lost in new “hallucinations”? Why do some of us spend hours wandering the aisles of the local bookstore looking for the next book (when there are thirty books at home that have yet to be read). Why do libraries, places where the public can borrow nearly anything ever written, exist?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but you won’t find any answers here, at least today. I never thought about books in that way and found it interesting.
What you will find today is a challenge based upon my own reading habits. I finished a book called “7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow” over the weekend. Written by Bob Merritt, the former lead pastor at Eaglebrook Church in Minneapolis, the book is designed to assist people, all people, to develop tools that will change mindsets and behaviors to improve their lives. Bob is a gifted communicator and uses humor and personal stories to deliver messages. I highlighted much of the book because not only did it speak to me today, but it will speak to my future self as well. I highly recommend the book.
I decided this isn’t a “one-and-done” book. I need to read it again in the future to ensure that I haven’t forgotten or strayed from my learnings from the book. Therefore, this book will be the first in my “RRB” library: Read on a Regular Basis. It probably won’t be every year, but perhaps every 2-3 years, this book, as well as others, must be picked up again and read so that I can continue transforming into a decent human being.
Now here’s the challenge: Do you have a “Read on a Regular Basis” library? If so, share some of the titles so that we can collectively improve our lives and the lives of those around us. What books have shaped your life for the better?
If not, what’s preventing you from starting today?
