EMBRACE READING

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life,” wrote W. Somerset Maugham. The whole world lies ready to bloom like a flower before your gaze as you journey into the heart of a great book. New people, new worlds, open before your bedazzled gaze as you explore the world through the eyes and heart of a literary genius.

Choose your books carefully, as you have limited time. Take steps to make reading a daily perk. Each of us has the same amount of time — 24 hours. Find a one hour period when you can read. It can be in 20 minute modules. Set apart a non-digital time, when you don’t answer the phone, or access computer.

Have a book on hand; keep it at your bed side; leave some in the car; use a bookmark. Read as you travel (if you are not driving!) Start a book discussion group which meets once a month. Keep a record. Make a note of the books you are reading: your comments will be helpful to others in your circle. Record the time it takes to read. Listen to great audio books as you do your chores.

INTRODUCING STRUCTURE: Set apart a space to read in. A good book can change the way you feel. Identify a place in your life meant only for reading. Furnish it with pillows and a lovely blanket. Let it be cool and breezy. A small bookshelf and a notebook for your comments will complete the picture. Reading enables you to enjoy and explore the soul and life force of a genius. It gives you the opportunity to experience a different, adventurous, even a dangerous life, with no consequences. It is a means of learning, enjoying and feeling.

The writer is the author of Everyday Happiness Mantras

Reading gives you the opportunity to experience a different and adventurous life