Readers Are Leaders?

The other day, I came to a sad, scary realization.

I don't read much any more.  I'm not sure when, exactly, this happened.  Back when I was a child, I loved to read.  At one point, I read around a book a day (granted, junior high reading level books, but still).  I think it might have initially dropped off back in high school, or maybe college (because I had a lot of required reading then, so I wouldn't pick up a book for fun, because I would think of what I should be reading instead).

However, in the early days of adulthood, I picked it back up a little, where I probably got in one book a month.  I used to read pretty regularly on the train at one point.  However, as of lately, I've been (shamefully) playing on my smartphone and working from home a lot, so my train reading time has been cut down.  Right now I'd pull out the excuse of 'I've been so busy', but a) I really hate it when people say that, b) ultimately, we always make time for our priorities, and c) in spite of my busyness, there's probably plenty of random crap I waste my time on.

Anyhow, as I sat down with a good magazine about a week ago, I came to another scary realization.  I'm out of 'reading shape'.  Now, don't get me wrong - it's not as if I COULDN'T read, it's that I had trouble getting into it, my mind quickly wandered, etc.  I figured this was kind of like running - people who do it regularly enjoy it, but people who do not struggle with it because they're not conditioned for it, if you will.  This could partially be why, when I have downtime, I don't typically reach for a book or magazine.

I could throw in the towel here and accept being a non-reader, but a) I have a lot of good books left on my shelf that need to be read and b) I don't like that idea.  So, I'm making a conscious effort to get back into reading.  I've made a goal to read for half an hour every day.  The first couple times were a little awkward (like the first couple training runs I went on), but I think I've found my groove and I'm generally enjoying it once again.  This makes me think of the potential comparison of how, over time, we can fall out of love with things for which we once cared deeply.  Reading and I have, metaphorically speaking, grown apart.  However, I'm honestly surprised at how quickly my love for it is coming back.

Does anyone else out there notice he or she has 'grown apart' from reading (especially with the presence of things like smartphones/ipads/facebook/etc.)?  Is anyone else perturbed and trying to make a conscious effort to 'get it back'?