It’s a week dedicated to literacy across the country and I’m doing my part to help out at school. There is a book fair, themed decorations throughout the campus and a pizza party incentive to encourage kids to read. At the moment, I’m reading Rise of Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt who will also be visiting for a q&a next Thursday. I’ve always enjoyed reading even if it was magazines, newspapers, cliffnotes. Anything really. I had a grandmother who could crush a book in a day. She would tell me, “I imagine myself as the character in the story.” Reading does magic on the mind. Even to this day I revert to old forms of reading and writing. My yellow tablet still outperforms my digital notes and I still like to turn the page versus swiping right. In the times before text there was more thought that went into opinions before sharing them. Our fingers move way faster than our brains can keep up with. 

I have imagined myself as a reading ambassador encouraging everyone to engage and connect through storytelling. I loved Mister Rogers, Reading Rainbow, and the babysitters club collection. I remember reading things I didn’t agree with, stuff that made me sad, endings with no justice, fact and fiction. Reading has given me knowledge, power and insight into myself and the bigger world around me. My grandfather was self educated with no high school diploma. He would read everything he could get his hands on. He believed with education anything was possible. There has always been a war on knowledge because “the more you know the farther you’ll go.” ~ Dr. Suess 

I believe we can all go farther and create a more peaceful world by continuing to learn and grow. So go read something.