Reading is my hobby...and I'm finally okay with that!

Did you ever have to fill out an “About Me” page on the first day of school? I remember doing so about every year of my life!  The section about who inspires you was always confusing to me because I wasn’t so sure that I was actually inspired.  Putting “my mom” as an answer always seemed a safe bet…who isn’t inspired by their mom!

But another “about me” section that confused me was hobbies.  I would think about it and tentatively put down “reading.” Is reading a hobby? I would wonder. Does that even count?

Oh yeah, I did ballet for several years, and I sang in choir for a long time, but are those hobbies? (Obviously, I over think things.).

If a hobby is something you do for fun in your free time, then reading IS a hobby for me! And it has been since I could read.  But I continued to question this for years because reading sounds like a boring thing to have as a hobby.  I didn’t build model cars I didn’t compete in water polo I didn’t skate down blocks of my neighborhood… reading seems a little non-adventurous.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized a few things: there is no reason to be ashamed of my love of reading.  It’s not like I am shunning the rest of the world and never doing any movement or speaking to any people.  I am living an adventure from a comfy couch, learning something new as I lay on the grass in my back yard, or trying to solve a mystery as I look out at the lake from the dock.

I’ve also realized that there are many women around me who love to read, too.  And based on the sheer volume of books that are out there, it’s safe to say there are many other people in the world who also spend their time with a book. 

So, is this my hobby?  You bet it is!  And since this is something I’ve loved to do since childhood, I should pay special attention to it.  Reading is part of the play of my past, and continuing to “play” in this way will relax me in the ways that only our childhood can. 

If I take a time out from my toddler, my baby, the dishes, dinner, groceries, cleaning, etc to read a novel for a moment, my mind is more clear and ready to handle the next task on the agenda.  When I take a bubble bath with my book at the end of the day I am relaxed and rejuvenated. Occasionally reading for hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon sets me up for a great week.

Some of my favorite books that I’ve read in the last few months:

Novels:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Belgravia by Julian Fellowes

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

Memoir:

Chasing Slow by Erin Lechner

Children’s Books: (from childhood that I read over and over!)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling