“I don’t have time to sit down for five minutes to read…”, “I’m too tired of schoolwork by the time I would be able to read something for fun…”, “When would I find the time before falling asleep before reading?” AND YET- there is plenty of time to scroll, post, view etc. in social media today. The previous statements MIGHT have been flashing sentences that rolled through my day – BUT- for me and for everyone else I remind them (especially to students)-

“If we are willing to give so much of opur time and ourselves, every day- to others – shouldn’t you set MINIMUM 15 minutes a night aside for you to read what you want- and to allow that time to be a detox from all you did today and simply freedom for you to travel or discover lands, worlds, concepts that draw you in. Reading should be everyone’s reward for sacrificing so much of themselves for others during the day.

The more I think about this sacred time that everyone has to themselves, almost as a period of meditation that we each havew the amazing freedom that many do not have in other countries (like voting!) One of the most amazing thing is what people do NOT know about libraries, (and hence reading) that besides just being about books- one of the most personal time we have is a moment where anyone can open a book, ANYONE, ANY book, and find themselves within the pages where they never find themselves.

But there is the commitment required to make those steps and often, many have to be enlightened on what that period can mean, that people can carve out for themselves, and reading will mean to them down the road. This is the difficult part but with ease, and with talent, librarians can show all individuals how personal reading is to farmers, future lawyers, electricians, mechanics, and even more. Even further there is the impact that students can have that in their community that can go on to impact their community and weave the barriers that exist between school and community until none exist. All this can definitely appear, if you just allow a portion of time, everyone deserves, to read.

It might all sound dramatic, but reading is such a personal experience, for individual people of all walks of life, and doing so it a very personal experience. Unsure this is the case? TAKE a LOOK at this:

It has always been my interest, once I realized the personal level a library and librarian can have in the world for everyone, and well, I was hooked. Some of you have seen this, when you go to a conference that aligns with someone’s interest, you FEEL as you found your home. Be it a conference for engineers, architects, English teachers, scientists, doctors, and of course librarians. There is a common language, a common camaraderie, a feeling of home and the one thing you take for pride, that you take home with you, that you utilize to impact the world around you. It is vital everyone is willing, to carve a little piece of your crazy, busy day, to save that time for yourself, to take back and read. As I write this, I for some reason think about something I see and reflect on every day.

I think of the people to go to grocery stores and see carts in the return areas – and when going in, either grab one and take it in or simply do not take one but go into the grocery store, trying to act like they do not see the carts, and never would think to grab one, or two, or maybe three to help the person out who is trying to keep up with the cart load in the parking lot. I think often of the jobs I had, sometimes being a clerk at Friedman’s/Bilo, Food Arena, Shop ‘N Save, and in the middle of the heat, the cold, carts always had to be present. Never did I think that others could help me, But MANY years later, I see the way I can help the store overall, those clerks overall, just by bringing one cart inside. But many choose not to and for some reason that stands out to me, In the spaces and places we find of solace, where people do not notice, people can choose to read or not read. The act of reading also impacts so much more than we realize.

The more I think about this, the more I see books / reading in general being the one act, for yourself, you are willing to deny from the sacrifice of what the day has done to you by the end of it. Not exactly see how I see these two situations alike, but I do know- when you advocate for yourself to read a minimum of 15 minutes a night, FOR YOU AND NO ONE ELSE, things beging to change. For the better, even on your worst days.

I also tell students that reading, is time allotted that YOU yourself allot for the well-earned solace at night, at day, ANYTIME, and is priceless and helps you think out larger big-pictures of these concepts. Books might not have anything to do with the concepts, exercises or experiences of the day you find yourself in, but they are cross-training your brain to be prepared to for those possibilities.

Don’t hesitate, don’t doubt, and do not think twice about it, Just read, for yourself and what will go on to be an amazing transformation of how you see the world and finding your place in it. Sssshhhhhhh, (I am not shushing you as a librarian), I am shushing the noise around you that distracts from you finding who you are in pages that you do not exist yet. That is part of what librarians do for you- and I hope you are lucky enough to discover this yourself. Every single day.