Many of you might be unfamiliar with the name Mitch Albom, regardless of the fact that he’s a celebrity all around the world. Perhaps he’s better known for his craft than his name. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the book Tuesdays With Morrie, which spent 4 years on the New York Time’s Bestsellers List. And with good reason.
Albom’s storytelling ability in Tuesdays With Morrie is truly immeasurable and inspirational – impacting the lives of his readers with, “An elegantly simple story about a writer getting a second chance to discover life through the death of a friend.” (Tampa Tribune)
Don’t let life pass you by
In my mind, the most poignant lesson from this writing comes near its conclusion. “None of us can undo what we’ve done, or relive a life already recorded. But if Professor Morris Schwartz taught me anything at all, it was this: there is no such thing as “too late” in life. He was changing until the day he said good-bye.”
One of our greatest shortfalls, which seems to be inherited from one generation to the next, is the art of putting off today what you can do tomorrow.
We are raised to believe we always have more time – never grasping the realization that today could very well be our last day on Earth. But there are no certainties in life – no guarantees that we’ll be given the time to follow through on the things we put off until we’re older, have a few more bucks in the bank, or our children go off to college.
Reading Tuesdays With Morrie truly enables you to see that the world waits for no one. And while we’re busy waiting until tomorrow, life is passing us by.
Our lives are easily derailed. The advertising and marketing geniuses of the world have created a false sense of what should be important. We live under the delusion that those we love will always be there – convincing ourselves that it’s okay if we take them granted. But inevitably those we love are taken from us, sometimes suddenly, and we’re left with a lifetime of regret, sorrow and longing for just one more day to say I love you.
I find myself struggling everyday to keep myself grounded – to try and live each day as it were my last. Not an easy task by any means as the chaos and relentless pressures of life try their best to consume even the strongest individual.
Are you passionate about life?
For those of you who typically read my posts, you probably know the deep respect and admiration I have for everyone’s favorite neighbor – Fred Rogers. Many people seem perplexed by my fascination of a man who changed his shoes and jacket when he entered the room and often talked to puppets. But it goes deeper than all that.
Look around you and ask yourselves when was the last time you met a person that felt so passionately about life? Who remained upbeat even in the face of adversity and sorrow? Even when faced with the news that his life would soon be over, he made the most of each and every day he had with family and friends. We spend so much time allowing life to consume us that we lose sight of the many gifts life has afforded us.
Both Fred Rogers and Morris Schwartz were diagnosed with terminal illnesses later in life. One would assume these unfortunate circumstances would be enough to finally break the upbeat, positive personas, which made these two so memorable to so many.
But that wasn’t the case. Much like they did all their lives and professed to generations of listeners, they never let the pressures of life overcome the blessings.
Maybe that’s the key to life – not wallowing in the challenges life continually throws our way, but rejoicing in the abundant gifts we already have before us.