Reading (revised)

Growing up I was fortunate enough to have not one but two mentors who picked me up by the bootstraps and deposited me on the road of imagination and literacy. They opened my eyes to the power of the written word and the magic of storytelling. Without realizing it they planted the seed, which eventually grew into my own fledgling desire to explore the inner recesses of my own mind and transcribe what I found onto a blank page.

The first and most important of these mentors was my mother.

Reviewing my report card upon the completion of first grade she saw that I had done well in every subject reading. Reading was my Mount Everest an obstacle that had proved daunting in my initial attempt requiring my return to base camp.

The summer after first grade was not only the most miserable but also the most rewarding summer of my life. Each and every morning my mother sat me down for four to five hours and drilled me. Phonics lessons were followed by more phonics lessons it seemed to me an endless chain.

I would cry. I would scream. I would beg and complain but her commitment to me never wavered. She sat patiently with me day after day. Drying my tears, calming my nerves and planting seeds. Miraculously, half way through the summer something suddenly clicked, the seeds blossomed and amazingly enough began to bear fruit.

My rebellion ceased, I began to enjoy the lessons and became more than eager to apply them to my every day world. We graduated from phonics, to Dick and Jane, to Dr. Seuss and beyond. By the end of summer I could be found at the breakfast table slurping down cereal while perusing the local paper and checking the standings to see how my beloved Dodger's were doing.

THANKS MOM.

I never new the name of my second mentor, or if I did I have long since forgotten it. She was a librarian at the Live Oak Library located in Arcadia, California.

This was the library of my youth. I spent many hours browsing the stacks in search of new adventures, new friends to discover and new lands to explore. By the time I reached the fifth grade I had completed the entirety of the children’s section and my wandering eyes began to drift towards the adult half of the library.

One day the above-mentioned librarian happened upon me browsing through the adult section and promptly escorted me back to the children's section. Upon my next visit I once again headed straight for the adult section. The same librarian discovered me but this time she sat down and asked me what was wrong with the children's section.

I went on to explain to her that I had read all of those books and that I was desperate for something new to read. At first she did not believe me but upon checking the cards, to her surprise she found that I had as I claimed read most if not all of the age appropriate books.

So we made a deal. She promised that if I allowed her to assist me in picking out books that I could as many books as I desired. We shared a smile and we shook on it.

THANKS TO LIBRARIANS EVERYWHERE.

First appeared: February 2004

Revised: May 7, 2005