As a girl growing up those days, I loved reading physical books. I remember always pleading with one of my aunties to get me books to read, especially ones with nice stories, so that during our girls' evening hangout, I would have a lot of stories to tell my friends. This was how much I loved reading books back then, I could vividly still remember.
Surprisingly, my interest in reading books decreased drastically during my secondary level. I found myself struggling to read any book not related to passing my exams. It became a chore, and when I forced myself into reading; I will sleep off. Nothing interests me anymore, and I couldn't place what went wrong. This was the main reason I switched from an art to a science student. I didn't have the appetite for reading novels and literature up and down, and to date, that struggle has been there. But it never affected my exams, as the desire to clear my papers will naturally force me to embrace my textbooks.
Fast forward to this digital era where reading physical books is looking like it is fading away from my normal routines. My reading habit these days has been shifted to digital materials. For instance, here in Hive, it's so handy for me to read different articles of my interest. Most times, I do visit the Leo Finance community, looking for content from which I could learn a thing or two. Not that I don't usually see finance books at bookshops, but I just don't know; it looks difficult for me to read via physical books. Funny enough, I memorize more from a printed book than from reading online, but the interest in reading physical books kept dying off.
There are kinds of physical books. I found myself reading more without seeing it as a chore. It's fun, it's exciting, and it's very interesting because I learn a lot from it as a woman. Interestingly, I bought these books with my money, unlike me, I didn't choose to download them via the Internet; I wanted to read them line by line, underline important points, and keep visiting them to refresh my mind...lol. Maybe it's because they are books about my body as a woman and about marriages, praying women, and parenting from other moms' experiences, but I found myself not getting tired of reading these books.
The last one I read recently was this total woman, among others, in my hands. The book is about making your home a home and not a house. You know,HOME is more welcoming, there is peace in a home, and love thrives in a home. Unlike a house, you can see any garbage in it. I am speaking in parables, but I hope you got my point. This book has practical illustrations of how to make your home welcoming for your husband and everyone in your home. Some nice tactics that strengthen marriages were exposed in this book, and some of them I have practiced and spotted the difference. This is me always craving a more lovely home where there are things to spice up the joy and happiness we enjoy.
No one is an island of knowledge. I may not do all that was said in the book, but I try to pick the ones that I feel will work for me. Total Woman is a book that both young and old wives could read and start doing something different for more colorful relationships.
Most of the time I read physical books is when I want to stay away from the screen. I can always choose to pause and connect with some of the books I have at home, and it's never planned; it's just when the urge to read them comes, so hopefully soon, I will still find myself reading and underlining important points for reflections.
This post is in response to the #Hive Learners contest on the topic titled, A READING HABIT.
Image one was designed in canva. Other images are mine