Wow. Amazing how a week can just get away from you. I had a ton of notes jotted down to write about but the three pitches I was involved with at work took first priority. On to the actual content:
It took me forever to learn how to read. We're talking an absurd amount of time. And this is not something many people know about me.
I was more than halfway through second grade before I could read a proper book. Eight and a half years into my life.Before that I could read kid's books but nothing of real substance.
However, I still remember the exact day that I actually learned how to read. My AP psychology teacher from 11th grade would refer to it as a flashbulb moment (thanks Mr. Westerholt).It was spring break '98 and my family was on vacation in Toronto. My mother and I were sitting next to each other on the train to Niagara falls. We had taken along the first "The Boxcar Children" book that she had been helping me stumble through for weeks.
She said to me, 'You're going to be able to read by the time we get off this train.'
I started off just piss poor. Doubting my pronunciation of words, having my brain exhausted after a page and regretting ever asking her to bring my book along. Then something clicked and reading started to get a bit easier. I could read a page just fine, then a group of pages, then whole chapters.And as a reward my mom bought me a hot chocolate. Oh how I savored that hot chocolate. Little did I know that literacy for life was the true reward, the hot chocolate was merely a distraction.
Since that trip I have been an avid reader. Books, magazines, blogs, even lewd comments on bathroom walls. I'll read just about anything that crosses my line of sight, constantly on the hunt for a new morsel of information.I believe I am trying to make up for those years of reading that I missed. Years when I was either too stubborn or too stupid to pick up a book and dedicate some time to it. It may have been a blessing that it took me so long to learn to read, because now it's something I will never take for granted. I also attribute this thirst for information as the reason behind my interest in advertising.I hope this post provides a sliver of insight into why I am so interested in sharing blogs that have helped me and books that I am reading. Even if reading isn't your thing, finding something you are passionate about and absorbing all of the information you can will do you well. I believe it has for me.