My Relationship With Reading

I have had quite the rollercoaster relationship with reading.  When I was growing up, my mother worked as a librarian, so while other kids watched television, my mother always favoured reading books.  While some kids went to parks to play, we found our adventures within the covers of a book, hiding within the library.  It wasn't uncommon for my siblings and I to spend our days searching the shelves of the library for the treasures we planned to take home.  I enjoyed the freedom to read about worlds that I had the freedom to create within my imagination.  I just couldn't seem to get enough!
When I got into middle school and high school, my relationship with reading took a drastic turn.  Before, I had always chosen the books that had seemed to call my name, and intrigued me.  But now, I was being assigned what to read, and at times, I found I had absolutely no desire to explore the worlds that were being thrust upon me.  My interest in my assigned reading depleated and soon enough, my world seemed to revolve around other things like sports, music and my friends.  My relationship with reading had become so strained that I would rather read the Sparknotes version of the book, than dive into the contents of the book itself. 
After high-school, I took a job with a traveling music ministry team.  We spent hours upon hours traveling to our various bookings and without realizing it, I found myself returning back to my love of reading.  With very little else to do, I found myself drawn back to the written word.  Not only that, but I realized how much I missed reading.  It also seemed to be my only reliable source of entertainment.  We were never guarenteed internet or television, but I could always count on having a book to occupy my time.  I also realized that my tastes in reading had changed.  I was quite more adventurous in exploring new genres.  I found myself enjoying mystery books, biographies, and even the occasional reference book.  I even opened myself up to reading a few of the books I had dreaded in school, and I must admit, they weren't half bad.  Some, in fact, have become personal favorites of mine. 
As I mentioned before, my relationship with reading has been a rollercoaster to say the least.  There have been good times, but there have been strained times.  All in all I am glad for both, because I can look back fondly on the memories I had as a child, but also appreciate what a joy it is to discover a love for reading again. 
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