What Do You Notice?

Here’s a picture of my bedroom from when I was in high school:

What do you notice?

Obviously, there’s a telescope in the middle of the room - acting as a temporary clothes hanger. Clearly, my interest in science dates back a long, long way. 

This was my second telescope and it was much more powerful than my first. I spent many hours exploring the night sky with this instrument. My atlas of the stars is under the pile of clothes on the chair.

But, what else do you notice?

On thing you would not recognize, but I do (and I do miss it a lot) is my moose sweater. It was a maroon and blue sweater that had several images of moose on the front. I wore that sweater a LOT in high school, college and beyond. I finally wore it out and had to get rid of it. But, I’ve never found a more comfortable sweater in my entire life. You can see it on the chair behind the telescope.

You probably noticed the television. That’s a black and white 12” set that has a bent-up clothes hanger as a replacement antenna. I watched countless Red Sox games on that old TV. I would have been amazed to see what passes for television today. 

Did you notice the tennis racquet between the chair and the dresser? I played a lot of tennis in middle and high school. I’m not a born athlete but I did enjoy playing and, among my other non-athletic friends, I was pretty good.

The thing I want you to notice is all the books. I was not a collector of books. I read them. I devoured them. I can distinctly remember walking home from middle school, reading “Reach for the Sky” (which I mentioned in class the other day) as I walked, trying not to veer into the road, but consuming several pages as I made my way home. 

Sometimes, I think I learned more from independent reading than from my classes in school. It may or may not be true, there’s no way to figure it out. I’m not a fast reader, but I’m relentless. I always have a book with me. If I get a spare couple of minutes - that’s two more pages down. 

Reading is fundament to all aspects of a successful life. It’s how you get exposed to new ideas and perspectives different from your own. It’s how you learn new things and broaden your world view. 

You really can’t get everything you need to know by watching two-minute YouTube videos, you have to read. 

Reading will give you a better opportunity for a successful life - in school, at work, in your relationships and as a parent. There's no excuse not to read - it's fundemental.