I had an epiphany yesterday. (That alone is newsworthy, but not really the point I’m trying to make.)  An idea that would pay my bills, feed the homeless, and get home sales moving again.  Who knows if it will really work – I’ll be finding that out shortly.  The thrill is in the confluence of thoughts that brought the idea and a whole new world of possibilities and things to learn. As I was thinking about why I hadn’t thought of it before and how I got to it now I realized that books played a vital role and that re-reading is not given enough credit as process.

1. The inspiration for my new idea came from many sources and that’s the first reason for re-reading.  I was going through one book that I’ve had on my shelves for close to ten years and read at least ten times and another for the second time that I acquired last week.  The mixing of voices in my head gave me a new perspective.

2. Like many, I am an impatient reader, whether it’s a novel or a textbook or a self-help book I want to know the plot, point, or critical information as quickly as possible.  Once I’ve got that down, I find that each subsequent read I retain more nuances, sidebar information or a non-essential dialogue that adds a little more color.  I should point out that if I didn’t like the plot or find the key information helpful, I’m unlikely to give it a second chance!

3. Things change. The people,  jobs, politics, and technology in your life are probably different in some way than they were a year ago.  You’ll bring that new perspective to a book each time you approach it so new things will jump out or recede.  You may have different answers to exercises in a book that will lead you to new conclusions.

4.  I have heard from several senior acquaintances that one of the impacts of aging is forgetting books that they’ve read. I can hardly wait!  I have kept several old favorites around for just this purpose – having re-read them so many times I practically have them memorized they are no longer a joy to turn the pages. But someday, they’ll be new again. So I keep them.

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