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I am an avid reader. I inherited this passion from my mother, who filled our house with books. Some of my earliest memories are of our weekly trips to the public library. One day, my mom returned from the grocery store with a few volumes of the
Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedia
, which thrilled four-year-old me. According to family lore, my first day of kindergarten left me deeply disappointed: “They didn’t even teach us how to read yet!” Our household was tight on money but my mom always made sure I could submit a
Scholastic book order
at school.
I loved reading so much that I made a career out of it. I can easily spend hours engrossed in a good book; there is no greater satisfaction than reading a book cover to cover in a single day. I usually have three titles going at once: something on my e-reader, an audiobook for driving and dog-walking, and a physical book on my nightstand.
For most of my adult life, I was a book snob who only read “serious” titles, a side-effect of being an English major. Recently, however, my taste has changed: For the first time, I’ve been reading lightweight psychological thrillers, the kind on sale at the airport. I think I’m drawn to what I used to consider cheesy and predictable because the world is overwhelming right now. I used to listen to NPR on my commute nowadays, but I now find myself turning instead to my latest audiobook, looking forward to hearing what happens next to
nine strangers trapped at a mysterious wellness retreat
.
There’s no end to the news that will put us on edge right now. And whether we realize it or not, we carry the worry with us throughout the day. It shapes our interactions with students, colleagues, friends, and family. The tension settles into neck and shoulder muscles and presses the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
What is it you do to release the tension you may be carrying? What activities do you turn to when you’re feeling maxed out? Is it working in the garden? Listening to music or a pop culture podcast? Trying a new recipe, going for a hike? As we enter the home stretch of Spring 2024, let’s try to intentionally unwind each day so that we can persist over the long term in doing what we can to make our small corner of the world a better place for those who will inherit it.
Sincerely,
Magdalena L. Barrera
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
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