Ice Cream Banana

I spent some time with my mom and niece Odessa today.  My dear nieces… I’m such a literacy advocate that the nieces get scared to talk to me just in case I ask the dreaded questions about reading or reading classes or what books they like.  Odessa is wise beyond her years and looked down embarrassed when I asked her today if she read any books this summer.  As expected, her mom came to her rescue to remind her about her favorite book. 😻

When I say I am pro- literacy, I don’t necessarily mean reading books… or in my case, reading in English — what I mean is that you are actually looking at literature.  You don’t have to complete the book, to me, either.  With my short attention span, I can understand if you don’t also.

Let me give you an example:  in high school I was so inundated with extra curricular activities in school and in the church community that I never, ever had time to read books… 

But what I did faithfully my sophomore to senior year was read the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip every morning in the local newspaper along with my horoscope for the day.  Every morning, my heart and soul satisfaction and completeness depended on some wise crack spoiled brat and his faithful cat coming out of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip.  True story.

Years later, in college, I learned that the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips were referencing very well-known Western philosophers in history.  This made reading philosophy and reading philosophy in my economics classes so much more easier because I could already recognize the philosophers’ names.  And because the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip story line was based on philosophical arguments, it was easy for me to pick up how to structure my philosophical writing and thinking for my college papers.  

Plus, now you know now that Calvin and Hobbes helped fashion my spoiled brat, sharp-stinging wit.  🤷🏻‍♀️😆😚🙌🏼

See, so it’s not completing a whole book, or completing a popular or classic book, or completing a whole library of books.  In my case, the more diversified the bookshelf is, the more intriguing it is to me.  

Pro-literacy means just that— for literacy.  For the words and thoughts that spin your mind in the thinking process and hopefully will call you to action or movement.  

I can’t imagine why anyone would shy away from the thought of pro-literacy.  To think is human.  To read is human.  Enjoy these gifts!