really? not at all?

I was talking to a friend the other day about summer vacation and how I was going to fill my time when he told me that he knew he would be bored within the first week. I said "really? then find something to do!". When he looked at me blankly and said "like what?" I quickly rattled off a list of things. Go for a walk. Volunteer somewhere. Go to a movie. Read a book.

"I don't read".

"You don't read? Really? Not at all?"

"Well, I read for school, yanno, casebooks and such ... but I don't read for fun. Ever."

This was startling to me. I wouldn't consider myself especially well-read, nor would I say I'm an avid reader, but its not because I don't like to read. I love reading. Its just one of those things that seems to get pushed on the backburner when I get busy with school and training and the boyfriend. And now that i have free time, I have a long list of books just waiting to be picked up.

I was perusing the bookstore today, trying to decide what to read next when I started thinking of my friend. Along with all the new (or new to me) novels, there were the familiar covers of some of my favorite books, staring at me from the shelves like old friends. It suddenly made me incredibly sad that somone would pass all this up, that they would dismiss reading as something to be done only when absolutely necessary. I just don't understand ....