Poolside reading, anyone?
I'm progressing at a decent clip on my 14 x 14 Reading Challenge, but my mother - my mother is a crazy reading machine! She is actually adding on new categories, and it looks like she will do a 20 x 14 Challenge this year.
My competitive spirit was chastened, but I just have to give her kudos for the gusto she brings to reading and learning.
On my side of the challenge, I have finished 56 books so far this year. I'm enjoying having the time to read more novels and "fun" books, but I've also made an important realization about my own lifetime learning.
I really like philosophy and theology and Big Ideas, and it doesn't matter if I have an official assignment to read them or not.
BUT ... and it's kind of a big But ... if you are going to read this type of book for fun it seems you need to be careful not to bore your friends and family to death babbling on about them.
It's not just a problem that readers have, either. My son loves to tell me all about the latest video game obsession he has, and I try, I really do try, to be interested. But so often it just goes in one ear and out the other. Recently I was talking to my husband about the book I just read, Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction, and the look on his face suddenly reminded me of how I imagine I look when my son is talking about his video games. I was guilty of just talking at my husband and it was making him glaze over.
There are many topics and ideas in this world that we can become excited about, and there is nothing wrong with just learning for learnings sake. You don't have to get a grade for it, and you don't have to even share it with others. Just Read. Just Learn. Just Think. And enjoy!
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