You are never too old to sharpen your reading skills. Studies show that reading, at any age, is an excellent “mental exercise.”
If you are one those people who has made it quite clear that you don’t read books because it is not “your thing,” it might be time to ask yourself why.
It could be that you don’t read well. You learned enough to get by, you may even have an advanced college degree, but if you have never learned to read for pleasure, you are missing out on something really good.
Now that you are spending most of your time at home it might be time to reconsider. How about giving reading another chance.
It’s not too late. Go ahead, sneak into the kids’ room and practice by reading stories written for children or young adults; some of them are really quite good. Give yourself permission to read for the fun of it.
Look on-line or ask a librarian (reference librarians are on duty even if the physical library is closed) about reading tutorials. Instead of deciding to learn a foreign language find ways to redefine your own.
• The best part of reading, no matter what the genre, is that the mind-expanding benefits are the same.
• You do not have to finish every book that your start; get over the idea that you should only read “serious literature.”
• Skim if you can’t wait to find out what happens next or read the last chapter first; it’s your party.
• Read the afternoon away or read in short bursts.
• Always carry a book in your pocket.
• Listen to audio books when driving, cleaning or walking the dog.
Don’t know what to read? Ask a librarian or a bookseller for recommendations. Once you learn how to read for the fun of it you will soon be hooked. You will find yourself reading in the car, at the breakfast table, in the bathtub, in bed, in waiting rooms, in airplanes, everywhere. You will never be lonely with a good book in your hand.
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