I get it. Motherhood is exhausting. And motherhood in addition to other commitments (you know, like a marriage, a job, friends) feels nearly impossible. Who has the extra time to read? I know I don’t. With two little ones to raise and five classes of high school English to teach, there have been periods of my life when the best I could do is keep up with their reading selections, never mind consider what literature I wanted to read. After a while, I realized I wasn’t getting what I needed out of reading. I needed my lit-fix.
That’s right: Reading feeds me the same way it feeds my babies and my students.
It can feed you, too — and that’s not just my teacher side talking. My favorite part of being a high school English teacher is when a student approaches me and proclaims, “Hey, I actually liked that book. It was good. And I actually read it!” If you can get past that last part, it’s really endearing. If you include that last part, it’s kind of a compliment to the author.
So how do I feed my love of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, when I am so exhausted that I pass out by 8:30 p.m. each night? How do I address this level of self-care that, when choosing the wrong book, can feel like an additional chore in itself? One word:
Audiobooks.
I have a library card. With that fancy piece of wallet-sized plastic, I can access a world of audiobooks. For free. If you’re like me, though, you have yet to download the OverDrive app on your phone, so you are not yet taking advantage of the free service. If you’re also like me, you do have the Amazon app and a Prime account. So instead of accessing thousands of titles for free, I pay a monthly membership and receive a single credit toward one audiobook of my choice using Audible, now linked to Amazon. Plus, if you start listening to a book and it isn’t your cup of tea, you can almost always exchange it for another title!
I have a 45-minute commute to and from work, five days per week. That’s 90 minutes (some days more) of listening time. While I also love listening to Matty in the Morning, I decided recently to use my time to read/listen to books. So every day, when I get into my car and secure my seat belt, I also plug my iPhone in and open my Audible app. Just this school year alone I have been able to listen to every single “Harry Potter” book. Now I know what you’re thinking… I thought she was trying to get away from adolescent literature. And that is true. But, I never read the “Harry Potter” series when it was popular. And now, at 38, I’m finally interested. And with an Audible account, I can make whatever choice I want.
Audiobooks have changed both my commute and my life. I know how that sounds. Absolutely ridiculous. But literature, no matter how I take it in, is as essential to my self-care as yoga or running or pedicures. I need books to be happy. Audiobooks make that possible. Whether you have the time to crack a book before bed, swipe a page on your tablet, or listen in on your way to work, reading can truly open your world and feed your soul.
How do you get your lit-fix?
