I once considered myself a slow learner. My friends and acquaintances seemed to have knowledge and experiences unknown to me. I realize now that I was a sheltered learner. My sensory input was limited. What I saw, read, heard, and even did was limited to what my parents, my teachers, my pastors, and even my spouse thought I should experience. Reading, which once seemed limited to textbooks, the Bible, and parenting books, has become an adventure toward a new life. I gained new desires, dreams, goals and thoughts. I developed a positive attitude instead of a wait-and-see approach to life. Instead of spending countless hours watching television, I checked out books at the library. In the waiting rooms, I selected magazines with unique articles and news. Reading gave me a greater open-mindedness. My hearing has improved. Not that there was anything wrong with my ears – I just wasn't listening. I was ignoring the world instead of experiencing it. There were everyone outside of school, church, and babies crying. I started to listen, really listen, to the story...