What is Reading?
The wonder of a simple act.
by Selah Bell
No, I’m serious. How often do we really take the time to think about it? We all just blindly accept the fact that, at some point, we were taught that certain combinations of letters equal certain sounds, which equal certain meanings. It’s incredible and a little (or a lot) weird when you think about it.
Do you remember when you were learning to read? (If not, think about a skill you learned more recently!) It was probably a bit frustrating when you were just starting. This shouldn’t be a shocking realization. Most people are frustrated by the things we don’t understand. Most of us were frustrated when we started learning math, how to ride a bike, or when we were told there are three different kinds of there, which are all spelled differently and have different meanings.
The thing is, when we start to understand something that didn’t initially make sense, it becomes even more satisfying when we finally get it right. When I was learning to bike without training wheels, I spent more time crying in the backyard than actually biking. Eventually, I figured it out and spent the next few months speeding around the cul-de-sac, more than a little smug about having learned this skill before my brothers. The initial thrill wore off as I grew older and life became busier. Although I’m sure I could still ride one if I wanted (according to the saying, at least) it’s been years since I’ve touched a bike.
Sadly, there are a lot of things in life which are like this. No matter how important and spectacular something is, there will come a time when it doesn’t seem that spectacular. The solution to this malaise is simple—although it may be hard to practice. If the problem comes from overlooking or forgetting, we can counteract it by taking the time to remember how incredible most things really are.
You’ve heard people say, “Live in the moment,” “Seize the day,” or “Stop and smell the roses.” More often than not, these phrases are used as a reminder to focus on loved ones and remember the special moments we’ve shared with them. Focusing on those people and moments is important. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t need poets, authors, and speakers to spend their own precious time trying to remind us of how good we have it. Unfortunately, this sentiment is rarely applied to the things we are capable of doing. I just wanted to remind you of some relatively small, yet important things you might be overlooking.
You can read books. You can even write them if you want. You can understand almost every word. You can look up the ones you don’t know or reread the sentence till it makes sense. You can picture the voices and landscapes and faces in a paragraph and maybe even understand what an author is trying to tell you about the way they see the world.
That’s pretty cool.
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"Anyone who wants to can be surprised by the beauty or pain of the natural world, of the human mind and heart, and can try to capture that—the details, the nuance, what is."
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
I have children with mild dyslexia. It took them several years to learn to read fluently. The other day one of them told me how glad he was that he could read now. He expressed how much it meant to be able to read road signs, packaging, and books. He used to think that other kids had some kind of magic that felt out of reach and now he can sit with a book and read. Going through the process of teaching my children has reminded me of how marvelous that ability is.
Thanks for the post. Yes, reading is a skill, one which needs to be subsidiary if we are to look through the words to the story. Something I'm trying to improve on. Carpe Diaz, as they say in Mexico haha.