by Glynis Klein
The importance of reading became apparent early in my life. As a teenager, I had two favourite pastimes – reading and journaling!
Since adolescence, I love getting lost in books. Back then, the stories transported me from a fishbowl existence to fictional adventures, times and places so unlike my reality. Reading provides incredible opportunities to learn about other cultures, life contexts and others’ experiences. A familiar quote by Nelson Mandela claims that “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world“. As someone passionate about promoting mental wellbeing through psychoeducation, this is a motto I embrace.
Early Reading
Growing up in an impoverished, displaced community, I did not attend pre-school. My first structured educational setting was a first-grade classroom. A room filled with teaching materials enticed me to the world of education. Fascinated, I learned how to string letters into words and words into sentences. Then suddenly, the sentences transformed into stories which can transport one to the realities of other people and families. Reading can instantly broaden horizons, and even at a young age can make one’s world immediately feel broader—the importance of reading links directly to education.
Journaling
I grew up in an environment where privacy and healthy emotional expression was limiting. Therefore, journaling was a liberating outlet to express thoughts and emotions. Over the years, a love for journaling evolved into a passion for non-fiction writing.
Creative Writing
In my 1975 grade 1 classroom, we were handed large sheets of soft, white paper, wooden paint brushes and plastic cups of coloured paint. I had no idea what to paint, and my strokes were elementary. But, something about that blank canvas and creative freedom felt most appealing.
Fast forward to 2016, after years of private journaling, I was eager to grow my writing skills so that I could share my writing with others. To do so, I signed up for a creative writing course under the tutelage of a seasoned South African author, Mike Nicol. Eager to capture my fascinating family history, I maximised the opportunity to capture my mom’s biography. The writing course highlighted a typical intuitive character trait of introverts. That is, to draw out narrative life stories in others.
Impact on Personal Growth
During that winter, I spent hours listening to my mother’s life story. I caught a rare glimpse into the little girl, teenager and young adult before she stepped into the role of a parent. My mother shared the experiences that shaped her growth and future roles as wife, parent and friend. Something almost magical happens when we begin to see our parents in their totality. Once we better understand our parents and the significant experiences that impacted them can increase our empathy towards them. In turn, it can strengthen the parent/child relationship.
In retrospect, those childhood stirrings were links to my innate creativity, a valuable gift all of us possess in some measure. Today, reading and writing are like old friends and constant companions that contribute to my ongoing growth. As an introverted lark, my early mornings are spent indulging in these two passions. It provides an essential outlet to reflect and process life experiences and thereby enrich my interpersonal relationships and the way I engage with the world.
Happy reading!