Why I Read

Yesterday, I found a package on my porch I wasn't expecting. Or shall I say, I forgot to expect. I had preordered Bob Goff's new book Everybody Always, and apparently yesterday was the day it had been set to arrive. That Amazon package was a blessing wrapped in white bubble wrap, that once able to hunker down and dive in, was a reminder of why I read.

Sometimes people make life hard. Sometimes, I get caught up in the manipulation and struggle that is life. Sometimes, I forget why we are here. And then sometimes, I find a book to bring me back to reality. My fingers touch those precious pages that are fragile if placed in the hands of a child. And I get lost in the authors reminder to be bigger than myself and the adversity I am facing. Those moments getting lost in whichever author I am journeying with, provide me with this perspective that I need to find my silver lining.

When I was little, Nancy Drew was how I got lost. I adventured with her in her world. There were a couple of times I was pretty sure I helped her solve her mysteries. There were other nights when sleep was lost because Nancy too vividly drew me into that dark and mysterious world. But nonetheless, those pages were a refuge.

Fast forward twenty years, and authors like Brene Brown, Jonah Berger, and Bob Goff top my list of non-fiction writers that remind me to get lost in the beauty of humanity, no matter how messy it can be sometimes. Some mornings, it might just be me and my bible, reading the stories of our creation, and those reminders of how simple love can be all we need.

In this season of life, I have been provided with moments of learning that teach me how to exist among different types of people. Ones that I previously had not been challenged to be so closely connected to. I admit, it does not always bring out the most beautiful version of me. But today, getting lost in Everybody Always, a book about always loving every type of person (SO ME), Bob did exactly what I love. He challenged me.

"Talk behind each others backs constantly. Just talk about the right stuff. Talk about Jesus. Talk about grace. Talk about love and acceptance. People don't grow where they are informed; they grow where they are loved and accepted. Talk about who people are becoming and who you see them turning into. And give people medals, tons of them. The people around us should be walking around looking like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They should jingle when they walk." - Bob Goff, Everybody Always

This is why I read.

CAN YOU IMAGINE?! Selfishly, I thought of all those moments I had faced recently, and if only my challengers could just see past their bias of me and talk about grace, love and acceptance. But then, the light bulb hit. While that might be a thing, I needed to work on this too. WE ALL DO.

I started dreaming of a workplace where THIS was an accepted culture. Dreamy right? What about the mixing of social groups or family members where instead of judgement, there was talk about love and acceptance when talking behind each others backs? Can you imagine the peace and strengthening of relationships instead of distance? A little convicting if you ask me.

This is why I read.

I, like my challengers, build walls. I inadvertently create barriers, when I desire community. But if I continue to read books that are written with the values I desire to live by and topics that matter to me, I will be challenged to be a better version of myself.

This is why I read.

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