I’m currently re-reading the Harry Potter series for the first time since I was a kid. When I was young, my dad read the first three to my sisters and I, and then when I was finally old enough, I would stay up all night reading the new ones as soon as I got them. But I’d never revisited them as an adult until this year.
And I’m not just re-reading them, either! I’m reading the books, then listening to the corresponding Binge Mode: Harry Potter podcast episodes, then watching the movies. I’m currently in the middle of book seven, and as I went outside for a walk today to listen to the Binge Mode episode for the span of chapters I’d just read, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. The two hosts make me laugh so much with all their sayings and phrases, non-stop irreverent jokes about the characters, and double entendres in the text.
But they also maintain such a fierce sense of loyalty and respect for the series throughout. They LOVE these books, unabashedly and whole-heartedly, and listening to them unpack what they love about them and how masterful JKR was in writing them makes you feel like you can appreciate them more, too. It’s like being in the best kind of book club: one with thoughtful friends who carefully point out interesting observations and insights and deepen & enrich your experience of the book itself.
Noticing my joy today made me think about how little I let myself go all in on loving what I love. I hold back, thinking that it’s overkill, or weird, or awkward to love what I love just so much. Now, I see that it’s often a gift to others to live with that kind of enthusiasm. And if not to others, it’s at least a gift to yourself. Not everyone would want to read, listen & watch this series all at once! But I do, and giggling about it all to myself is reminding me to look for even more ways to lean in to my joy.
