How Reading Ruined My Life

I am not, by nature, a reader. I am a watcher. I prefer movies to books. I prefer to be shown how to do something rather than reading the manual. It's just how I was made. That is, until three and a half weeks ago.

Just before moving back to Denton, I was challenged to re-begin reading the Bible on a regular basis. This is something I've always struggled with. It bores me easliy (see above). I had just begun reading Genesis when I moved up here. Not because it was the first book, mind you, but because my interest was peaked by a sermon topic the previous week.

I began moving into the "Mohican Mansion," as it is known, about four weeks ago. One of my roommates had Jon Krakauer's book, Into the Wild sitting on the kitchen table. When I sat down to eat lunch one day, I saw it there, and began reading the intro/forward/preface (which ever it was). I'd heard it was a good book, so I wanted to see what it was all about. The next thing you know, I was several dozens of pages into the book! I finished it two days later, and rented the movie to watch another day or so later. Somehow, I was consumed by the story.

But now, my life is completely rearranged. I can't stop reading. I can't escape the bound-paper jungle. I'm now done with Genesis and almost into Leviticus. While simultaneously reading the book of John (on assignment) to learn about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ. While simultaneously reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together for an intern/staff book study. While simultaneously reading a book on audio mixing I found in the back of my roommate's car - Mixing Audio by Roeey Izhaki. (which, by the way, appears to have been translated from Arabic or something. Poorly. And they forgot to run spell check and grammar check on it. Twice.)

I don't understand what has happened to me. Why can't I stop reading? Why am I simultaneously reading four books? Think of all the time that's being wasted! I could be sleeping or eating or watching a movie! Or just doing nothing altogether! I just want things to go back to the way they used to be. They were happier, simpler, more ignorant times. And I had so much more free time. Alas, such is life. Such is life.