My Hobby is Reading and I Didn't Realize It. I Was a Bookworm All Along
"What are your hobbies?"
When someone suddenly asks about your hobbies, it's surprisingly hard to answer, isn't it?
Even when asked about my own hobbies, I couldn't find a definitive answer.
One day, I asked my mother, and she said, "Isn't it reading?"
…Wait, reading? A hobby? Me?
I never thought of it that way at all.
Because reading books was just "part of my daily life," on the same level as brushing my teeth or eating.
Looking back, I've been reading some kind of book every day since I was little.
Actually, I had weak legs from birth and couldn't run around like other kids, so I was given plenty of books from a young age.
Even after I grew up a bit, I made it a rule to spend 5,000 yen on books as soon as I got my part-time job paycheck, which was something I looked forward to,
I read in the bath, I read before bed,
and before I knew it, my room on the second floor of my parents' house was overflowing with books,
to the point where the floor below would creak. That was dangerous.
When a friend's mother asked me, "Can I borrow a book, dear?"
I thought, (Am I a library?)
…Wait? Writing this now, I realized,
I was definitely a "bookworm."
But back then, I didn't realize it at all.
I loved it so much, and it was so natural, that I didn't even recognize it as a "hobby."
After I started raising children, I didn't have much time to read,
and that was quite stressful.
I would buy books that caught my eye, but I would get frustrated with myself for "not being able to read," feeling like something was missing.
But recently, I've finally been able to find time to read little by little.
Books are truly calming. They bring me peace.
They help me connect with my past self.
But, I wonder...
Even when I pick up a new release after a long time, I often feel like, "Hmm? Isn't the content a bit thin?"
In the end, I always return to the old bestsellers.
Yukio Mishima, Taro Okamoto, and recently,
Sun Tzu, Confucius, Lao Tzu—
Wait, am I going back too far??
"Every day, Sun Tzu."
"Every day, Confucius."
"Every day, Lao Tzu."
I'm thinking of writing a Note series like that.
Now that I've finally realized I love books.
By not just "reading" but also "writing,"
this book-loving life of mine might expand one step further.
I was a bookworm, through and through.
From now on, I want to see how far I can fly with those wings.
By the way, the cicadas haven't started singing yet this year.
Even though it's so hot and sunny every day,
I guess the rainy season hasn't ended yet.
Are they singing in Western Japan yet?
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This Note was actually featured by "Tayoroyoro Library DATABASE"!
I am honored to be included in such a wonderful collection ☆★
The article they featured is here ↓↓