This week my company had its first ever Global Employee Forum. A speaker at the forum was Neil Pasricha. Neil has written the popular The Book of Awesome and has been an inspired TedTalk speaker, among many other accomplishments. For those who have seen his talks, you know his incredible story of how he found his voice in the world. During his talk about how to find “happy” he suggests three ways to do this. First – walk in the forest. It seems the trees create a chemical reaction within us that makes us happy. Second – journal every day. Write down something that went well to continue to relive it happening, and then feel good about it when you read what you have written. A good thing that keeps giving. Third – read 20 pages a day. Of Fiction. From a book. This will transport you from where you are to a new place.
Well, DUH.
The whole reason why I have been reading my whole life is to escape from what reality around me was. I was never a popular kid in grade school, made fun of throughout my childhood, and felt invisible. I hid in these books, where I was able to be part of something without being judged. This year has started off in a difficult manner, and to be honest, I have averaged 90 pages a day to take me to another reality where I wouldn’t feel so much pain and loss. I have used reading to expand upon my world. Just because I haven’t travelled to 50 states doesn’t mean I can’t glean something of what the world there is from a book – the lush but hot world of the Hawaiian Islands or the rough and unforgiving Alaskan winters. I continue to push myself, with you sharing in my journey, to read around the globe, and open myself to new cultures and experiences. I may have started this as an exploration of how times have changed in my lifetime, and now look to expand my understanding of other’s experiences in this world.
Does this reading make me “happier?” Maybe. I know it frustrates my husband when I get lost in a book or I am so filled with emotions from the story I take it out on him. I know I have things to talk about with just about anyone, from a small child just introduced to The Runaway Bunny to senior executives in my firm about my favorite format for reading – ebook or paperback.
I am very proud that people know me as a reader. My boss thought of me when she heard of a book group at work. My daughter asked me to drive a friend home and by way of directions she said “now drive to your favorite place, the library, and it’s the third house after that.” I have experienced many lives through my reading, and hopefully I have become a more sensitive, understanding and accepting person by having been open to learning of how other people have lived and survived.
So, if you see me smiling for no reason, its probably because I just met a new friend in a new place, and we are off on a new adventure. And I am happy about that.
The Source 4 Books 