Wednesday, August 23, 2006
"The truth is, Mitch," he said, "once you learn how to die, you learn how to live."
I nodded.
"I'm going to say it again," he said. "Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." He smiled, and I realized what he was doing. He was making sure I absorbed this point, without embarrassing me by asking. It was part of what made him a good teacher.
.
.
.
.
"Because," Morrie continued, "most of us all walk around as if we're sleepwalking. We really don't experience the world fully, because we're half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do."
And facing death changes all that?
"Oh, yes. You strip away all that stuff and you focus on the essentials. ... Learn how to die, and you learn how to live."
The simplicity and sincerity of Tuesdays with Morrie has really touched me. I'm glad I chose it as my on-my-way-to-work read for the last two days instead of some other book. It has taught me lessons about living, even about dying, and serves as a reminder to embrace the little things in life.
And this is what I choose to embrace about my new life as a working adult...
^ I get to enjoy a 15min walk each morning and evening along the Singapore River as I head either to and from work
^ I thank God for being able to climb the stairs of the office without difficulty
^ I am able to hear and speak, and I hope to listen more instead of just hear
^ I am blessed with a job I actually enjoy and which offers the right kind of environment for me to grow
^ I have better understanding of my parents
^ I am learning more about myself than I would have in another situation
And for all these and more, I am grateful. Tuesdays with Morrie is a book I am never going to throw away. It'd serve as a reminder that everyday can be a perfect day.
lying among the petals 11:37 PM
