Reader VS Book Lover

That night, when everyone else was asleep and I was at my working desk, reading (or I could say, busy deciding which books to read ), I suddenly came to the realization that there’s a difference between a person who loves reading and a person who loves books. 

For me, to love reading is: 

- to love the process of comprehending and understanding the written words (hence, a reader doesn’t really mind dog-earing or annotating their books) 

- to focus on the knowledge within the books - to be concerned about the impact of a book’s content on one’s life 

- to make sure to read daily 

- to have the goal of becoming a reader, instead of simply being a book buyer or a book lover. 

So, when it comes to being a reader, the yardstick isn’t how many books we have on our shelves, but rather how reading has helped us improve as a person and how it has become a daily habit. 

However, I can say that loving to buy books is one of the stages toward becoming a reader. We can’t really fall in love with books if we are far from them. And yes, there’s nothing wrong with reading for leisure. But it’s important not to get stuck at the stage of “reading ONLY for leisure” because reading is indeed a form of work — a deep work that we have to do in order to grow. 

When we read only for leisure, we tend to read only when we have free time, and only for comfort, not for growth or knowledge. But when we have the mindset of reading for growth, we’ll make time for it, and we’ll seek books that can help us grow. 

That’s why busy people (CEOs, stay-at-home mothers, working mothers, doctors, etc.) are still able to read many books in a year. Does that mean we can’t read for leisure or escapism? Of course we can. We do need books for those purposes. We are human beings, and we have various needs. Just make sure that we don’t label reading as merely a hobby. 

“Read, in the name of your Lord Who created...” (Al-‘Alaq: 1)

Of Coffee and Life Lessons

When I started drinking coffee last year, I learned a lot of precious life lessons revolving around it. It’s not simply about a well-known beverage; it goes far beyond that. 

And honestly, it’s kinda sad to think that some people have such a negative mentality regarding those who love sharing their coffee moments on social media. Let me list down a few negative connotations that people usually associate with coffee lovers: 

- showing-off attitude 

- unnecessary lavish lifestyle 

- bad for your health 

I’m not gonna say anything about the points above, but I do wanna write down some beautiful coffee-life lessons I’ve learned so far: 

1) People who enjoy their coffee moments in a coffeehouse are usually people who appreciate being alone and actually feel good about it. (And this is important.) 

2) Making our own coffee at home teaches us that there are little things in our everyday lives that we can look forward to and be grateful for. 

3) To be able to find people who love coffee as much as we do is indeed a blessing. It’s kinda like an instant friendship, but with a deep connection. 

4) It’s important not to think badly of others who love doing something that we don’t. Just because we don’t understand why they love something (in this case, coffee), doesn’t mean it’s bad. Let people love what they love and enjoy life in their own way, as long as it’s halal. 

5) It’s okay if people misunderstand us (regarding coffee or any other aspect of our lives). Let them say we’re showing off or damaging our health. They’re accountable for what they say, and we don’t owe them any explanation. People should know better than to think that a picture or video truly reflects what actually happens in someone’s life.