Inside the Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal
The Timeless Pastime
Even with all the tech we’ve got now—apps, social feeds, streaming everything—reading still holds its ground. It’s one of the few things that hasn’t lost its value, even as everything around it keeps changing. We used to flip through encyclopedias at home—now we Google in seconds.
Screens are everywhere. You see couples on their phones at dinner, families watching TV while scrolling, toddlers swiping on tablets. There’s just a lot competing for our attention, and it shows.
But reading still sticks. It makes us think deeper, feel more, and stay curious. And those things actually matter, especially now.
Nurturing Our Growth
There’s something about reading that feels grounding, no matter your age or where you’re at in life. I remember the feeling of walking into a library as a child—knowing I’d leave with something new.
Even now, I can picture myself scanning shelves, picking up a book, and flipping through the first pages. Back then, I didn’t know how much those small moments were shaping me.
Unlike the constant scroll, reading made me pause. Whether it was for a school project or just because I was curious, I had to actually stop and think about what I wanted to learn.
There was always a matter of choice, to which I felt the weight and intention behind such a decision. As simple as it may seem, this act alone empowered me to test out all of the ideas and voices of writers that made me curious.
It would not be until many years later that I would realize that I was doing much more than consuming information. By committing to the book of my choice, I was deliberately contributing to the process of my own personal growth and the kind of person that I was unknowingly choosing to become.
The Gift of Story
Stories leave an imprint—especially when you’re young. Through characters, whether kind or complicated, we start to understand things we haven’t experienced yet.
Big themes like love, loss, friendship, and heartbreak—books often give us our first look into what those feel like. They help us imagine how different people respond, and what we might do in their place.
Reading lets us meet all sorts of people on the page—many of whom we’ll eventually meet in real life. Some say fiction isn’t real, but isn’t it all coming from real emotions and experiences?
Do stories have to be factual to be true in some way? Nora Ephron once wrote:
“Reading is escape and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real.”
Finding Your Voice
Reading helps us say what we mean. The more we read, the more we learn how other people think, speak, and see the world.
This process sharpens comprehension and logic, allowing us to shape our thoughts and express our views more effectively. Language is a powerful tool—and the more we master it, the more deeply we can connect with others.
The more words we have at our disposal, the wider we expand our world. We were born to use information not for mere consumption but to be able to participate in the very act of creation itself.
Books help us practice. They stretch the way we think, and help us build our own language for what we’re feeling.
One of the hardest things is not being understood. When I can’t find the words, I shut down—I turn inward, and I doubt myself.
But reading gives me language. It helps me practice clarity and grow in ways I didn’t even know I needed.
Embracing Your Imagination
Albert Einstein once famously said:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there will ever be to know and understand.”
It’s quoted often, but for good reason. For someone so brilliant to place imagination above knowledge—it says a lot.
In reading, we put our imaginations to use and uncover the powerful experience of flow. With a focused concentration, we can tap into the creative rhythms and movements of the writing on the page and get lost in a whole new world.
When we allow ourselves to accept the mere joy of reading, we enable our curiosities to drive our thoughts and see beyond the words in front of us. We travel in a different way and gain new insights about new places and wild adventures with the creative use of our minds.
It opens the door to new possibilities and creative thought. And in doing so, it also brings us closer to others—by helping us better understand their stories and nurturing a deep sense of empathy.
A Source of Light
Other than life itself, I have found that reading can be our greatest teacher and source of wisdom. It’s no surprise that people across all ages return to it for clarity and comfort during difficult times.
Because even when life feels overwhelming, a book can be a beacon in the dark. It’s a gift to step into someone else’s experience, to learn from their triumphs and heartbreaks, and to hold their hard-won wisdom in our hands.
From coming-of-age novels to reflective memoirs, there’s so much to learn from the lives of others. Their stories can help guide us through our own, giving us a new point of view and helping us build lives of purpose and meaning.
The author Jeanette Winterson once wrote:
“Language is a finding place not a hiding place.”
The Lasting Legacy
Growing up, I spent many days doing three simple things: reading, eating, and sleeping. It may sound like cause for concern, but in truth, it was empowering.
In tough times, I return to the importance of reading. Yes, we all crave connection—but there’s also something valuable about turning inward and building a sense of inner strength.
Because in many ways, I was developing the fortitude I would learn to lean on during my most challenging times. I was practicing resilience by staying in the moment and letting the words on a page carry me through.
To this day, whenever I enter a library, I am spellbound by the towers of wisdom that can fill an entire cathedral. To me, it feels almost sacred and magical, for I find myself fascinated by the mere idea that the words of more than a hundred lifetimes can take up a limited space in time.
It humbles me to think about how many writers, from all walks of life, have shared their experiences with the world. Their words have become a legacy—a treasure trove of truth and beauty that we can return to again and again, for generations to come.
