The Joy of Reading Slowly

I am an avid reader now that I’m older, but not so long ago back in school I was admonished because I read too slow. For many years I did not read: no books…no prose…no verse I’m reading again but I now see my slowness as a blessing…not a curse. When I open a book I never know what the author has in store. Will there be drama, comedy, mystery or perhaps a little something more? Once I saw a book as only words on paper...that made them seem so bland. Now I see them as stepping stones into another land. From the comfort of my bed or chair the adventure doth begin for once I turn a page I’m going to a place I’ve never been I can journey to exotic lands, witness untold beauty so sublime... It’s even possible in a book to go traveling through time. I can help solve difficult cases, know what’s lingering behind that door I can feel the joy of love when it emerges, or the horrors of a war. Where else can I travel the globe and experience such wonderful panoramas all from the safety of my home while still in my pajamas? Which brings me back to reading slowly, if I can travel from the present to the past, from one world to the next, why would I want to go fast? No, I prefer to take my time…for it’s part of my overall plan once I’m in a book, to linger as long as I can. So to my old teachers I say do not worry although my reading skills have not improved with age the joy I get from reading lasts a little longer on each page.