“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I picked up three books that I’m excited to read: one work of fiction, two historical non-fiction. I imagine myself reading them all this summer, but then I look at the books pressed against them that I’ve also promised to get to and wonder at my ambition. A great book is a journey into the unknown that will change us in some way, but only if we actually follow through with it. Otherwise, it’s nothing but untapped potential. Haven’t we enough of that in a life?

Every now and then I go to my bookshelves and seek council in an old favorite book I’d read some time ago, only to rediscover that it’s no longer there. Still, knowing this, I scan the shelves anyway, just to confirm that I hadn’t missed it the last time I looked. A great book no longer in our lives is like an old friend we have fond memories with but will never see again. We hope they’re doing well, and making memories with whomever is in their lives now. We are forever changed by our own experience with them.

What are you reading right now? That’s a question that betrays a lot about where we’re going in our lives. To have a ready answer is a sign of an active student of life. But reading a book doesn’t change us unless we take some actionable step in our lives from what we’ve read. Some quote or nugget of wisdom gleaned from the pages and realized in our own lives is the best gift we can give ourselves from the very best books we’ve read. For me, many of those nuggets end up in the blog in some way, or end up being paraphrased in conversation. Some things are just too good not to share.

To exemplify the very best thoughts and ideas we come across offers tribute to the author. To use them as a stepping stone in our own lives transforms the reader. Together, across space and time, we make magic. There is the untapped potential in books on a shelf, awaiting their moment in the sun on our journey together. If that’s not a great reason, not just to read, but to write, I’m not sure what is. The very best writing isn’t a vanity project or some task required for tenure, it’s in service to others in another space and time from our own. Surely, that’s something to aspire to?