(Errata - I just reread my post for Friday and discovered to my chagrin a number of typoes and little mistakes. Must have been overly tired. So here is the tweaked version for this past Friday. Sorry ab out that)
There are some questions that people ask me more than others. A few are inappropriate = which I usually deflect without answering directly. A very few are just obnoxious which I instantly deflect. Some are so rude - that I instantly respond, "That is really rude, now why would you want to ask me that? Is it your intention to be rude?" (It's a great response to give to really nosey people - feel free to use it!) Some ask questions looking for fights - that I am not eager nor inclined to have. And so on. TMI - As they say, too much information. If someone is clearly troubled or sad, then I do my best to answer and help them. It was not until the time when I finally retired that I realized there is absolutely no rule, commandment, or advantage in having to answer every question. There are a few people whose questions seem designed to almost raise my blood pressure. I try, in advance, not to let them success. This comes up more than you might think, but I have responded better of the last several years. May write more about this in a little while - since it obviously concerns me and my stress level.
One of the most frequent questions that I get asked deals with what I read. I have no idea why this is so, but more than a few ask about this.
Let me simply say - I love reading. Have enjoyed reading as far back as I can remember. I was blessed with the ability to read before entering school. I know that my mother fostered this in me. My father was also a constant reader, especially after he retired. When my parents would bring me on vacation either in grammar school or high school, I would often read for the entire trip. I would look out the window occasionally and then return to the book. This approach to being on vacation did not, shall we say, amuse my father! Oh, well.
I took the Evelyn Woods Reading Dynamics Course when I was in college, then again in the seminary, and then again about ten years after being ordained. When I was ordained a priest in 1973, Bishop Casey, in his homily, reminded all those being ordained of the need to keep reading. An interesting principle I learned from Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics courses: courses: Anyone can double their reading speed by one simple change in their reading habits - do not move your lips when you read. It is an easy fix and works. Feel free to send me large amounts of money for giving you this life-enhancing tip.
A large amount of my reading came from books in my "occupation" and interests. This means that I read lots of books ( and I mean lots of books!) in sociology, spirituality, theology, Scripture, research, administration, parish life, preaching. In the past ten years, I have started reading a number of books about History - Church history, U.S. history, and political history. (This may stun you, but I have only read three books on the Chicago Cubs. How many books do you have to read when you already know that there are the number one team in the history of civilization?)
Oops, I forgot to mention the amount of reading I do on the internet, especially magazines, journals, articles. I am a fierce researcher. I use the internet as a great research tool in a variety of subjects. For example, I have had this little medical thing which concerns me. I devour the internet, using all kinds of search engines, to learn more about this little medical thing and what can be done. Two nights ago, I came across a recently released major medical study which has not yet hit the popular literature. It will because it is a major development in medical science. I can't wait to discuss it with the specialist that I have been seeing to be sure that I have understood it correctly. I am fortunate that I can devour research studies, statistics, and charts rather quickly. (I need a life.)
One of my concerns about reading is that I have long been aware that there were still areas of knowledge where I really knew very little. This bothers me when I come across the TV program, Jeopardy. Once in a while, I get excited and think that I should try to be a contestant on Jeopardy. Then I try the answers on the program and discover a couple of things about myself. In certain subjects, I can get most of the questions and answers. But in a large number of areas, I am literally clueless- so Jeopardy has been soared my participation. With my luck, I would probably mess up the questions on religion!
I did have a way of filling in some of the gaps over the last several years. A wise friend mentioned that he always reads the books on the list of 5 books that Bill Gates felt were the best in a particular year. Needless to say, I had never read any of them - but now I look forward to the books as a way to increase my knowledge in a different field. Here are the books he recommended from 2020:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, by Erik Larson.
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre
Breath From Salt: A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine, by Bijal P. Trivedi.
These five books are on my coffee table, starting at me, and begging me to start reading them. I will insert these into the lists of other books that I'm reading. This should be fun!
I almost forgot. I love to read novels, especially political fiction. I find it relaxing and go through these things late at night. I usually read novels by Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, Dan Brown, and Dale Brown. (I should mention that, if a book has been out for a year or more, I try to get it as a used book on amazon.com. This can be a huge savings - and books of great quality can be purchased for a great reduction in the original price.)
That's enough for now. Thank goodness for the ability to have these books on my iPad - makes it so much easier and cheaper. Here is what I look like reading on my iPad. Ok, maybe not.