Reading is Fun

Quarantine has made me realize a lot of new things about myself. Let’s discuss.

Like a lot of people, I have loved being with my wife and kids. Luckily my kids have been able to go to school, in person, but we still have the nights and weekends. I have learned how to coach nine year olds playing basketball while they wear masks. It can be maddening at times, but I am getting used to it. I have realized I can run half marathons masked. Basically anything masked, I have gotten used to it, and it has been easy to do. I have also learned that maybe I do not have to go to as many live concerts or movies in theaters or sit down inside a restaurant. I can do all those things in the comfort and safety of my home. I do miss a few places, like Booches and Morning Glory Diner, but those will hopefully open back up when it is safe. And they are both doing takeout right now. I have also learned that my OCD prior to the pandemic has been a great help. I was already a neat freak, and since the pandemic started, I have had to change very little about my daily cleaning routine.

The one thing I did not expect, and have grown to love, is reading physical copies of books. I was never a big reader. I only did it in school when I had to, and as an adult, I only read stuff that was about Michigan football. Since the pandemic though, I have fallen in love with reading. I wrote about a great book yesterday, and that is one of close to twenty books I have read since last March. Again, that is a lot for me since I am such a slow reader. But I am finding out now with reading, I really enjoy it. It gives me a little getaway. I can escape into a book. I will read anywhere in my house, although the bathroom is my room of choice. I still have my preference for books, and that is non fiction. The only fiction books I like are sci fi, and even then, it has to be Phillip Dick books. I have read almost his entire library of books, and I adore them. But, outside of sci-fi, fiction doesn't do it for me. I tried to read some "Lord of the Rings" or the "Game of Thrones" books, and they bored me. But, give me a nonfiction book, about sports or comedy or bands I like, I will devour them, in my own way. I read Stephanie Wittles Wachs book in under a week. I read a book about "Saved by the Bell" and all the times Zack Morris lied in less than a month. I read the oral history of "SNL", which is an 800 page book. I finished multiple sports books that included "Paper Lion", "Overtime: Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines at the Crossroads of College Football" and "Loose Balls". I have read about Bill Walton's time in Portland, Magic and Bird's rivalry, the 1992 Dream Team and all about Michael Jordan. I have read books about music. I have read Chris Frantzs's book about Talking Heads. I'm currently reading a book about A Tribe Called Quest. I have read multiple comedy books, and will read more. I have more books on the list, including Michelle Obama's book "Becoming" , and I cannot wait to read them all and get new books.

This reading thing has become a hobby I look forward to since quarantine started. It is no longer a chore to read a book. I enjoy it. And while it bums me out that it took a pandemic to realize how much I like reading, hey, it is what it is. My teachers were right. Reading can be fun, and it is teaching me things that I never truly learned in school. Reading is fun. For real.

Ty