Reading is Fundamental
Read a variety of books to expand your mind
I love books and magazines. In my living room, I have nine bookshelves full of books and magazines. It’s become an obsession on top of being a collection.
My love of books and collecting books began when I was a girl. Books gave me a free ticket to any place in the world. Whether that world was real or not, I was there, participating in the adventures with the characters.
Reading gave me hope that options existed beyond the asbestos-filled walls of my 1st-floor apartment in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. I was able to leave my room for hours without going outside.
As I grew older, I used whatever money I acquired to buy books and magazines. The magazines also gave me information on the world in areas of fashion, technology, and society. My vocabulary grew as I learned about designers, personal computers, and racial oppression in America.
When it came to my love of reading, my mom was willing to spend whatever extra money she had on books. My mom knew that education was the way out of poverty for her children. If she couldn’t afford books, she would take us to the library where we had access to hundreds of books.
As an adult, I continued to add to my library. I also purged books from my library. My reading tastes changed as I matured. Books that excited me when I was in my teens and twenties, no longer excited me as I entered my thirties and forties. I gravitated towards books on writing, art, and fashion. I shifted from fiction to nonfiction. I read more poetry and plays.
It’s time for another purge. As much as I love my collection, I need to make space for new books. Again, I’ve reached a point in my life where my tastes dictate which books I purchase and read. It’s my desire to learn more crafts and the new technologies that are developing in the art world (NFTs).
Reading is a pleasure. The more books I read the more knowledge I obtain. Knowledge is power. Power can lead to money. But it can also lead to more opportunities. I believe this because all the books I read led me to where I am today. As I continue to read, I know more opportunities lay ahead in the future.
