DEAR NON-READERS…

This blog post is for all those who hate reading, who have tried reading but failed at it, who can't understand how someone they know can finish reading an entire novel in a go! I've been there and can relate!

Dear non-readers, I feel you! I feel you, because I wasn’t always a reader! In fact, I remember a time in school, where I was literally forced to read books! Now, I was extremely lucky to be a student of a school that not only had a well-stocked library, but also a special Library period every once in a week. And boy, I used to dread that period! I would just while away time, going through the different shelves, skimming through a few pages, pretending to be interested in one of the books and end up reading a magazine full of glossy pictures. I just couldn’t read! It felt like a pressure on my head to even read a few pages. By that time, I had accepted that I would never be a voracious reader.

And then came my adolescent years, where I was a very ambitious girl, wanting to be an astronaut, trying to be studious enough to get into NASA! Yes, I had big dreams! And, THAT DREAM SHATTERED. And now it isn’t really shocking because I had never been able to understand Physics and Maths at all. Forget understand, I used to suck at it! So in retrospect the dream getting shattered seems obvious and also hilarious. But at that time, it felt like the end of the world! I didn’t know what to do. I felt lost, alone, misunderstood and everything that cripples your self confidence.

And, that is when I found my knight in shining armour. BOOKS! For context, I have always had my parents supporting me through hard times, but at that time, I had just lost my grandmother (whom I loved a lot) and the family was busy coping with the loss so the universe had actually forced me to turn to books. One book led to another and then another. I started reading 2 books at a time. I started exploring different genres! I was completely invested in them, not pretending at all like I used to, as a kid and they gave me this strength to move on in life. Books helped me heal my wounds. They built a shield around me that helped me move forward. And then, there was no stopping. Its been 7 years now and the reading has just gone stronger!

Now, what I’m trying to say here is that if you don’t like reading, it’s okay! But maybe someday, somewhere, the universe will force you, to turn to the most magical thing in the world and I promise you, it’ll be worth it!

That was my story that God knows how took a slightly over-emotional tangent.

What was yours?