Your words resonate so much with me. As a youth, I also spent most of my money on books, reading so much each year. I kept score, I wanted to live through a thousand or more books! And I did really, but then with the advent of social media, work, and all of this clutter, I felt the same decline in my ability to sit and read. It is almost as if my hand itches to grab for the phone, to check the news or something like that. It is frustrating. Anyways, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I enjoyed reading them, albeit on a topic you and I feel is very sad.