I write at the speed of knots.
But this is how I read:
infuriatingly…
Sl...
Slo...
Slow...
Slowly
taking my time
to savour
every word.
Rereading
whole paragraphs,
just to be
absolutely
certain
I have got it.
I don’t want to miss
some hidden fact
or deeper meaning.
The writer mentions Marta.
Who was Marta again?
flick flick flick
back a few pages
reread a chunk.
Ah yes. Marta.
Flick forward again.
Where was I?
Reread the paragraph.
Again.
Now I know where I am.
And what a lovely description.
See that metaphor.
This is why it takes me a while to read -
Really read
a novel.
But when I NEED to read something quickly – a medical form– some dull instructions, I can. If-I-HAVE-to-I-can. Quickly-like-this-words-falling-over-words.
But when there is
beauty
and story,
and humanity,
and narrative…
I like to savour it.
Even if it makes me
a slow reader.
And maybe that’s ok.
A slow book movement
Like the slow food movement
because some things cannot be rushed.
You get indigestion.
(Clare O’Driscoll)
On being slow...
The truth is, it’s not just reading. A lot of things have come slowly to me. So often, I have had to wait for things I longed for. Watching my dreams being fulfilled in the lives of others, wondering when it will be my turn.
Conversely, a busy life has made me too quick at other things, too rushed. Sometimes I hurry on without listening properly because ‘there’s just so much to do!’ Ticking things off the list feels too important. It’s not necessarily something I’m proud of.
What if I always listened to others with that same, slow concentration?
What if I let go of my grasp on time?
Because, of course, it all relates to the ticking clock. How we use our hours. That struggle of ‘how long am I prepared to give this thing?’ ‘How much of my valuable time can I sacrifice?’ Not wanting to ever waste those tiny precious spare minutes.
But when Mary Oliver asked, ‘What is it you plan to do with your one wild precious life?’ I don’t think she meant cramming in as many impressive things as possible to show the world how well we’re doing.
So, I will keep reading slowly,
and try to let that slowness spill over into the rest of my life.
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