Why getting a lamp and taking my shoes off helps me read. Reading is an act of quiet resistance against hustle culture.
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I have childhood memories of running home from elementary school excited to read my new library book until my parents got home from work. (Yes, I was an 80’s latchkey kid.😜)
I would toss my backpack in my room, grab some crackers from the pantry, and sit outside under the backyard tree or lounge upside down on the couch.
A book and a quiet house felt healing for my soul. After a day full of people shouting, talking, being crammed in a desk seat, and all the chaos of school I needed space and calm.
Another reading memory I love to revisit was in my early 20’s when I had just quit teaching to become a stay-at-home mom with my newborn. Jim would leave for work and I would have long days stretched out with not much structure. After feeling a bit unanchored, I decided to pick up a book I had always loved.
While nursing, and when the baby was fussy, I would read Anne of Green Gables aloud. Those were precious moments holding my baby, enjoying my coffee, and reconnecting with a book that grounded me in place, home, and family.
Then I somewhere in the midst of raising littles, reading began to feel like a luxury that belonged to other people.
Whenever I set aside time to pick up a book, I’d get restless within minutes. Or weighed down by guilt over all the things I “should” be doing instead. I paid more attention to the standards set by other people (who had many opinions about what my mothering life should look like).
I was overwhelmed by comparison instead of listening to my inner voice.
Yet I was still a reader.
I kept collecting ideas and taking in words, just in scattered, distracted ways. Often I would allow myself to read parenting or Christian self-help books because those would make me a “better person”. It was a project, not for fun.
But fiction felt elusive and out of reach.
I longed for that feeling of being fully absorbed in a novel with depth and well-written characters, but it always seemed too difficult to make time for.
So how did I move from frustration to ending each day with a book in my hands?
3 Things That I Changed:
#1 – My attitude and my sense of identity.
- I have decided to accept my identity: I am a reader.
- I am someone who enjoys reading.
- I “get to” read every night.
- My day is not complete without some time spent in a book.
- Reading is necessary to me as brushing my teeth and wearing clothes.
- It is a basic element of my day.
#2 – My communication with others.
- I tell my kids, “I am not available right now, I am reading”.
- “This is important to me, please give me space.”
- “You have all your needs met and now I am spending some time by myself.”
- I claim my spot on the couch even if that means I move a kid or a sleeping cat to have my spot. (Yes this takes training and, honestly, kids being older.)
- When the guilt statements come rushing in, I counter them with self-compassion and honesty. “I am allowed to sit and read right now, I will do that stuff later.”
- I often keep a notepad nearby so when I think of To Do List tasks I can quickly write them down and then get back to my book.
#3 – My environment.
- I take off my shoes and grab a couch blanket.
- I get comfortable.
- I turn on my reading lamp so I have good lighting no matter the time of day.
- My phone gets set down in another room.
- (If that strong temptation is sitting beside me I will not read, I will scroll.)
- I get myself a fun treat and a hot tea or glass of water.
- Sometimes I light candles on the coffee table or open a window to hear the birds.
These things are all small but they make strong statements:
“I will be here for a while.”
“Reading matters to me.”
“This book is special and I am making a space for it.”
Let’s start a little reading revival. Share with a friend who needs that nudge too.
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We can choose to make space for this beautiful practice.
What you read, how you choose to read, where, and when will all be unique to you. It will also change with your schedule and the season. And that is okay. Some seasons you’ll finish a stack of books, and other times you’ll be proud just to read a few pages before bed. Both count.
You don’t need to feel guilty for what you aren’t reading or compare yourself to people who seem to fly through books every week.
Your reading life is yours.
The goal isn’t to check boxes or keep up. The goal is to come home to that part of you that loves words, stories, and ideas.
When we make a little space for reading, we make space for rest, imagination, and inspiration. We can gather new ideas, visit faraway places, experience new things, and hear from the voices of others within the pages of a good book.
So let’s keep showing up for our books, even in tiny ways. Light a candle, grab your tea, open a page, and let yourself enjoy it.
No guilt, no comparison.
Small steps really do create big momentum.
I hope that you will find joy in your reading journey again (or maybe for the first time).
What’s one small change you could make this week to make reading feel easy?
What book title sparks a reading memory from your life?
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Here’s to cozy corners, hot tea, and good books!
📖📚Happy Reading!
Check out these other bookish posts!!
📖 When My Reading Plans Fail
📚 30 Book-ish Rewards & How I’m Celebrating Progress
📘 Cozy Up with Books This Winter: Tips to Inspire Your Kids to Read
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