The world changes when you know how to read

Am experiencing the most amazing transformation unfolding before my eyes as my daughter finally realizes she can read. All around us, boards which used to be just random colors and lines are now information just waiting to be discovered. A Mc Donalds hoarding is no longer just a picture about a burger, it is information about a new Egg burger and therefore needs more attention, some analysis and more animated discussions. It is so much fun to walk around on the streets with her, as she reads signs, posters, papers and tries to make sense of a brand new world. 

To me, who has known to read for as long as I can remember, the whole experience seems quite fascinating. I try and imagine how the world would seem if we couldn’t read. Imagine a world where there were no directions, messages or information; where you had to rely on pictures and spoken words for all your communication needs. Especially in today’s age, where we are loaded with information from all directions, it would seem so incomplete if we didn’t know how to read.

Perhaps for someone who has never known what they were missing, it doesn’t seem as incredible. My daughter goes about her day as before, reading new information, with “no big deal” attitude. And all along I am awed by her new found capability and can’t help but smile as she interprets each information in her own unique way. Of course, the number of questions coming my way, which seemed incessant before are now more like a flood. I am managing to float through at times; have drowned at times and turned red some times for lack of appropriate answers. Nonetheless I have survived thus far and I am sure as she masters her new skills, she will find many more answers along with the many questions that pester her right now. 

As she learns how to read, I learn how each new skill opens a new world of possibilities – beautiful, exciting, and endless.