Lesson 38

Wow, I really missed a few months there, didn't I? I've been kinda swamped. I've been doing all the stuff Dad usually does while he heals up, last weekend he was finally cleared for "duty" so things have slowed down a little now. You're growing like a weed, firmly in the "what will happen if...." phase. If I have to answer one more "Mom, what would happen if the Roomba does..." I might toss the damn thing out the window. I try to answer your questions as much as I can, but you ask a lot. :) I hope that you never stop doing that, I mean, you can stop asking me 100 questions an hour, but I hope you always want to know why and you always find out. We recently got you a library card, you were so excited. In fact, yesterday we brought home 12 books. It reminds me of when I was a kid, my grandmother used to take me to the library all the time. I knew our local library better than my house. I read and re-read so many books that I know a lot of the children's books by heart. When I found out I was pregnant with you, the first thing I bought was a collection of Curious George. I would read any book I could get my hands on. If I found a book that belonged to the library, I'd always return it... after I read it. Which brings me to lesson 38...


It's important to always have an interest in learning. It doesn't have to be something like Calculus or brain surgery, but learning is what makes people grow as a person. You can do that by reading. You don't even have to read information books, you can read fiction and learn things. I know it's cliche, but you really can go anywhere in a book. I read to you every night and you're finally getting interested in reading yourself, I know you might not enjoy it the same way I do, but I hope you find something you can enjoy. It's an interesting feeling, reading a book. You get to know the characters. You learn their flaws and it makes you a better person. You start to empathize with others better. You can almost see parts of the world you probably will never go, and become interested in places you will. By the time you get this, paper books might be practically non-existent, but books have a smell. They smell almost like history. The history of all the people who have read and connected with that book in some way, you become part of that history for a long time after you've read it. A book will change you forever. Sometimes it's not noticeable, other times it will be so profound that you will never forget the lesson or character you fell in love with on those small pages. What you read in life will help you define who you are. So read often, and read a variety of things.