I was never an outdoor person when I was younger. I even spent an entire summer inside my house because I was terrified of bugs. I am also not a fan of sweat and the feeling of the sun beating down on my skin and giving me achey sunburns. I also dislike my inability to write on my computer outside, given the unavoidable glare.
However, my view of the outside changed once I met my friend Bella, who opened my eyes to the joys of hammocking. Every few days we would gather a smorgasbord of snacks, stock up on water and other flavored drinks, fill the car with pillows and blankets, and drive to the nearest Metropark to search for the best two trees to hang our hammocks.
Not only do I find hammocking very relaxing—with the gentle swing, the shade, and the feeling of floating—but it also reminds me of my love of reading. Every time I go to pick up a book, I’m always distracted by the mindless option of TV. But because of the sun’s glare, it’s much more relaxing to read a book on a hammock than try to watch TV. Therefore, I always come prepared with the latest novel I’ve been meaning to read.
It is for this reason that there are certain books that remind me of summer or bring back memories of reading them in a hammock:
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
- Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
- Hate List by Jennifer Brown
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
I haven’t had much time this summer to sit back and relax on my hammock, given the many credits I’m taking to get ahead on my major. However, I still have a pile of books sitting on my dresser, waiting to be read once I have the chance. I hope this article inspires you to take hold of that chance as well.