Questionable opinion: I think the media we choose to consume isn’t all that different. Book people just have the gift of being able to track and analyze it a bit more precisely. 

I don’t write down every time I’ve finished the whole series of The Office. I’ve never counted the hours I’ve laughed at “Whose Line is it Anyway?” I’ve learned so much from certain podcasts. Movies can completely change our perspectives on all sorts of issues. So while I believe that books and reading are incredibly important, we’re all choosing every day something to consume. It’s easy to assume a long list of books is a brag. But at this stage in my life, I haven’t been able to watch a tv show or movie of my choosing for years. So books are what I have to accompany through the tasks that need to get done to keep our family happy, healthy and safe. 

Tracking is a gift though. It allows me to look back on everything I’ve consumed and reflect once more. Here’s a bit of “who I am.” I’ve read books that have inspired me, taught me, challenged me, crushed me, and others that I simply let entertain me. These books have lived in my mind for a time. Some for much longer as their concepts or memories continue to linger through my days. Each has changed me in meaningful or even small ways. But it’s not just me, and it’s not just books. Doesn’t everything change us? Every movie, song, new experience, or conversation has the power to impact us in ways we may not expect. 

The gift of choosing each book I pick up is that I’m intentionally picking what will enter my life. There are books I regret reading, and others I wish I had read in earlier phases of life. Some books I wish every person would read, and every once in a while a book feels exactly right for just one special person in my life. A few special “car books” are ones I read over months a few pages at a time as I wait for school pick up. Some books demand to be read all at once. I’m simultaneously fully responsible for and completely at the mercy of the books I pick up. But no experience with a book is ever the same as another. 

As you look forward to your choices in this new year, I hope you are excited for the many ways that you will continue to grow. None of us will finish this year the same as we start it. And that’s such a good thing if we let it be.