Finally, Reading is My Hobby!

Reading was my favorite hobby in childhood. So back then, I had read very few books like the weekly Champak books, Panchatantra stories, and some mythological series like Ramayana and Mahabharata. Also, some short stories too. Well, this seemed like a very small collection for me. Like, "that's it? Only these?"

But yes! I couldn't read more books then. I was allowed to concentrate only on my studies and read my textbooks. Whenever I asked for fiction or a non-fiction book, I was just told to read my textbooks and that would be enough. That was difficult for me. Then the only thing I was able to do was to think, "I will read more books when I grew up". This was a belief of a nine-year-old me. It was silly of me how I thought that once I finish my education, i.e., when I complete reading all the textbooks as per the wishes of people near me, I could do a lot of reading. Oh! That was once me thinking I could be as free as to read so many books once I grew up. However, now I understand the fact.

That belief in reading again is now becoming true. I started reading books from 2018, so late though. I am happy I showed up for reading. Alright, Picking up this habit again wasn't easy. Hardly, I read two books the year (2018) I began reading books again. Well, I guess, I should say one because the other was an audiobook. Then next year (2019), the same thing repeated, I read two books.

The progress was far too slow. I felt like, "what two books a year? 365 days and two books? Isn't it too bad?  Oh! It is too bad. Where is my time flying if it is not for reading? Isn't it awful that my favorite hobby has become so difficult for me now? I need to do something about this". Ha! The negative me bragging upon my progress.

By then, I was trying to read at least 10 pages a day to cultivate this habit. I am glad this had an impact. It has helped me garner the courage to pick up a resolution for the year 2020, "read a book a month". So, This year I gave myself a month to complete a book, that will be 12 books a year. It sounded great to me.

I started to act upon my very first resolution ever that is on its way to succeed. Now I am halfway through the resolution and it is progressing so well. This excitement made me write this blog post. It is July and I am right on the track reading my seventh book. And I must say, the book: "The Power of Habit" by, Charles Duhiggs helped me to inculcate reading into my routine and I am truly cherishing the beginning of this beautiful journey.

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

- George R. R. Martin