ASSOCIATES

I recall a very wise man saying that the difference between where you are now and where you will be in 5 years has a lot to do with the people you associate with and the books you read.

Now for many of us we were told growing up that hanging around with the wrong "crowd" could lead us down the wrong path. You know the old saying, "birds of a feather, flock together". Pretty understandable. There's even greater insights into exactly what constitutes "hanging out", which I may address later. However,my focus this time will be on books. An interesting premise especially when dealing with an eye challenge that can and sometimes has rendered a person unable to read a book. When and if that time comes I plan to continue "reading" even if it means books on CDs or MP3.

But what's the big deal about reading. Well, nothing is what is being read is not positive, uplifting, or noteworthy. How can you tell if a book qualifies in that area? I can't speak for every book, but it is certain that a book that is being read is qualifying if something it says makes a person, not just put the book down, but throw it across the room!

It has been said by many successful people who read books that a book meant to help you will cut you open and expose you to yourself. It won't pull any punches but simply tell you like it is, and then the reader has to decide whether to keep an open mind, take it on faith, and keep on reading. It's the reader that can do that who will get the most out of the book.

Now some who can see to read may still say that they are too busy to read and as long as I am working with positive material isn't listening to books on CD just as good. I would have to say that listening to positive books on CD is better than not listening to any at all, but if there is a choice between reading the book and listening to the book - Read The Book!

Why? The simple answer is quite common, if a person is listening to a book on CD and comes to a point where the speaker says something that touches the listenier's ear, their mental receptors shut down because their mind begins to go into "instant replay" and begins to go over and over that point it heard trying to "milk" it for all the nourishment there, before turning the listening back on. Now, that is good, but the bad part is that while this is going on the CD doesn't stop. So while the listener is contemplating what was just said, some other iimportant parts were overlooked.

On the other hand, while actually reading a book, when the reader comes to a "nutritious" piece of information, when the mind starts replaying it, the reading stops until the mind can catch up. This way, ALL of the vital information can be absorbed. This is why those who really wish to gather all the information from a CD has to listen to it over and over again to gather the same amount of knowledge that a patient reader can grasp in just one reading. And overall do it in less time.

In my lifetime, I've listened to lots of music, watched plenty of television, and have gone to my share of recreational facilities, but overall, I still find that books, good books, have always been my greatest source of treasure. And you don't have to own the book to enjoy reading it. Library card, anyone?

TnjS