Once, in looking through my son's homework folder, a bright green bookmark caught my eye. These bookmarks had been given to all the children to help build awareness of and increase participation in D.E.A.R. Day, which is April 12. DEAR stands for Drop Everything And Read. What a great concept and holiday! Please join me in celebrating it. If you are not already in the habit of reading regularly, here are a few reasons that might convince you to D.E.A.R.
READING PROVIDES A WELCOME ESCAPE
Reading, especially reading fiction, is a fabulous stress reliever because it plucks you out of your immediate circumstances, transporting you into another time, place, and situation. I notice that reading helps me wind down more easily in the evenings. Reading captivating fiction helps me feel refreshed and recharged after weekends or vacations. Recommendation: The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffennegger, or The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula LeGuin.
READING EXPANDS YOUR MIND
Books allow you to explore the world and learn about a multitude of topics without ever leaving home. Especially if you are a visual learner, reading is a wonderful way to absorb information. If you are an auditory learner or struggle with reading, audio books may work well for you. Recommendation: Ken Wilbur's Kosmic Consciousness audio program.
READING SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE
Children mimic adult role models. When your children observe you regularly reading books, magazines, and newspapers they are more likely to become avid readers. This has been certainly the case with our family. When my younger son was a fifth-grader, he read two or three books a week and set an ambitious goal to read a hundred books in a year. If your children are young, reading aloud to them is a wonderful way to instill a love of reading. For preschoolers I'd recommend any of the many picture books from Leo Leoni or Eric Carle. The Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling, is a hit with school-age children.
READING EXPANDS YOUR CAPACITY FOR COMPASSION
Books provide an opportunity to briefly view life through the eyes of a person of another sex, ethnicity, nationality, culture, or era. Your trials and tribulations may pale in comparison to the challenges faced by the characters in the book. This can help you become more empathetic towards others and more grateful for your own life. Recommendations: Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon.
Some of my favorite fiction writers include: Gail Tsukiyama, Jodi Picoult, Barbara Kingsolver, Amy Tan, Sue Monk Kidd, Kaye Gibbons, Margaret Atwood, Penelope Lively, Khaled Hosseini, Tracy Chevalier, Maeve Binchy, Dan Brown, and P.D. James. Other all-time favorite books of mine are Anita Diament's The Red Tent, and Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone.
When you do decide to D.E.A.R., may your book selection delight you and quickly works its magic. Happy reading!
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Grace Durfee, PCC, is an ICF certified coach, trainer, speaker, and writer who helps busy professionals, small business owners and career changers achieve success while enjoying more balanced lives. She is the author of Balance with Grace: Celebrate the Kaleidoscope of Life. To learn more and to read her blog, visit
http://www.balancewithgrace.com
