The Pleasures of Being Read To

Hello, fellow readers! This post is going to take a little work on your part, so get ready!

I want you to close your eyes and remember the last time someone read out loud to you. Maybe it was when one of your parents or grandparents read you a bedtime story, or when you listened to someone read a poem aloud in class. Maybe you listened to an audiobook or simply read aloud to yourself. My point is, some stories just beg to be read aloud, and when we read to someone or listen to someone else read to us, we create a special kind of literary memory.

I remember when I was little, I was sick with the flu, and my mom stayed up with me through the chills and stomach cramps and read to me from The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. To this day, I cannot think of that book without remembering how she helped me through my illness merely with the sound of her voice and words on a page.

Sadly, reading aloud fades into the background as we grow older and learn to read on our own. We forget about the sounds of words, their tones and inflections. We forget to share our stories with other people. So today, I want you all to do something for me: pick up a book and read aloud. You can read to someone, have someone read to you, or read for yourself--it doesn't matter. The important thing is to read out loud. Listen to the words, savor them, linger over them. Appreciate their music, the cadence of the voice as it breathes life into a quiet chrysalis of words. Give your mind the freedom to sing and dance as you enjoy the exquisite pleasure of reading aloud.

Until next time,

Anna