Happy Medium by Erin Murtaugh

Happy March! Did you know that this month is National Reading Month? Also, Monday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, which kicks off the month with Read Across America Day. This is most often celebrated in elementary schools. I remember celebrating this day when I was a kid. I remember the public library would even throw some sort of celebration or party.

Ever since I was a baby, my parents would read to me. When my mom found out she was pregnant with my sister, they read me a book about a polar bear family that was expecting a new cub. That’s how they told me I would be getting a baby sister.

On my first day of kindergarten, we read a book called “The Kissing Hand” and then took our own kissing hands home to our parents. Making a kissing hand became a routine for me and my parents. This book stuck with me so much that it inspired one of my tattoos. I now have a kissing hand forever on the back of my neck.

I’ve read so many books throughout my school days. Some of those books I was forced to read, and those really bored me. Others really impacted me. The three books that have impacted me the most from high school are “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The Great Gatsby” and “The Things They Carried.”

Of course, when I’m not super busy, I find myself reading for fun, too. I’ve read countless Nicholas Sparks and John Green books, all of which usually got me in tears. I actually read “The Fault in Our Stars” in the middle of Boston-Logan airport and was sobbing my eyes out like a little baby.

It’s incredible how books, reading and the power of words can impact someone’s life so much. I know many of my friends find inspiration through books. I encourage reading at all ages. If you’re an expecting mother, read to your unborn child. If you’re a busy teenager, start a book. Who cares if it takes you a whole year to read? If you’re too busy to read a book, pick up a newspaper and read a little bit of it. Reading is an important part of life, so start March off with some literature!

 

Albert Lea High School graduate Erin Murtaugh is a first-year student at Rochester Community and Technical College. She can be reached at murtaugh.erin@gmail.com.