Remember this one? – Tuesdays with Morrie

You may have noticed that I kinda jump all over the self-help map.

So far, I’ve been able to keep from duplicating books. Go, me! And also, so far, I’ve avoided even duplicating authors. Not easy, as I have several different titles by some of my favorite authors.

I’ve also tried to avoid talking about all the heavy-hitters right upfront. I try to skip around to keep things interesting. I think I’ve only mentioned one of my “clunkers” so far. They’ll be difficult to talk about… and truthfully, I’ve gotten rid of a lot of ’em. Pssst: A secret: In some cases, I know they’re terrible but I love them anyway. Most of those, I’ve kept. 

Reminds me of a movie we saw over the weekend. It’s called Titanic 2. Now, you might say to yourself, “Self. That sounds gawd-awful. Don’t even look at the link,” and that might be good enough for you. You’ll go along on your merry way.

Or maybe, like me, you’ll grab anything-Titanic (remember, I am a Titanic buff).

That said, it was one of the worst movies we’ve ever seen.

AND I LOVED IT.

(An aside: Did you know Dick Van Dyke‘s grandson is a filmmaker? Us, either! And that his genre of film is called “Mockumentary“? I know, right? Now, they take a little poetic license, since the TV show The Office is more like a true “mockumentary”… and this movie was more like … any one of the Sharknado franchise. Shane Van Dyke is the one who made this movie and others like it, based on Blockbuster movies. Hilarious.)

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is not a mockumentary, so I’m not sure how I got there — or here.

It’s actually another of my classics… the kind of book that isn’t actually a “self-help” book. Still, it reached into my soul and changed me. I was far from the only one this happened to… it was a “runaway bestseller” … and if that isn’t “self-help” I don’t know what is!

It is a little book… a true story… of two men whose lives intertwine. They’d known each other years before, in a university classroom. Albom, the student. Morrie, the instructor.

Years later, these two men came together just as Morrie is grappling with the truth of his ALS diagnosis. He will be dying soon.

The book is set up like “a class” with curriculum, syllabus and the rest. And a thesis… which became this book.

“A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.”

That’s a direct quote from the book. And yes, it *is* a heartbreaking, powerful book.

It’s the kind of book you will read slowly, savoring every word. There are deep subjects and light ones… sweet memories and heartaches… lessons to be learned, for Albom and for us.

This is also the kind of book that you will never be without, on some level. Once touched, your heart cannot be untouched.

It actually reminds me of another story… about a woman I met while working in a bookstore… who held a book to her heart… like precious cargo. Ah, perhaps best suited for another day.

This book – TODAY, AT THIS MOMENT – has caused me to stop… catch my breath. Remembering how it felt to read it… in snippets, in gulps, between laughter and tears… and finally, with a kind of acceptance.

We too shall be Albom, at the knee of someone wise with limited time… will we listen?

We too shall be Morrie, with wisdom to share and limited time… will we share it?

Once again, I have come to this fork in the road… about life… and what matters most.

Truly, this book is about the meaning of life. It is a gift.

*Originally written by me for this blog on April 11, 2018.