JKLTip To build appreciation for reading, try one small article, or paragraph from a book every day, at some point, morning, noon, or night
Weekends, if you allow them, lend themselves to a little time for reflection and letting things sink in. I got thinking about why I like books, why I love reading and why I love sharing stories from my life, the lives of others, or from books
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One benefit is to spark thinking. This is what I like to point out to people who say “they don’t have time to read” Allow me to give an example, a book can prompt thoughts and even actions within a very small window. While waiting on a bench for someone, I opened my book to see a subtitle called ‘Remember to Breathe Like Darth Vader’, which goes on to describe deep breathing Yoga practices
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I closed the book and in doing so opened my mind to thinking I should remind others more often that breathing is so important as a foundation throughout the day. I reflected on on my own breathing as well and I estimate that I breathe properly only 10% of the day and thought about how I can improve this
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So, the fact reading doesn’t need to take a long time or be done front to back to have an impact is one of the great things about it. Another, perhaps deeper, is how narrative can break down barriers between generations, between races, and between cultures. We pass story and the conversation of stories between humans to better ourselves, to live, to learn. It’s how you got Great Grandmas recipe, how we know our languages and why I can learn from someone like Randy Pausch, or Ali without ever meeting them