Highway to Happy

It’s the 2^nd day of the long weekend. As much as I wanted to leave the house, wander off a familiar coffee shop and read a book, the insane freeway traffic kept me locked up. But I was itching to do some reading and I have a pretty good material in line. So when the day’s buzz was over, I took my book light, grabbed my instant iced coffee and sat in a corner. I turned to page one.

I read “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom a little over a year ago. Admittedly, I fast-read through it and never really bothered profoundly digesting the message. The book was released while I was reviewing for my board exam. Distraction was the last thing I needed. But knowing myself, resisting would just trap me even more.

So I borrowed a copy, fast-read the words and vowed to read the book again.

After passing the boards, I landed on a pretty demanding job. Every free time I had got occupied by newly- published best sellers. I almost forgot, not about the book, but about the promise of re-reading it. Until this night. Or, technically, since it’s almost dawn already, last night.

From page one fast forward to the very last, I was stirred up, awaken, inspired and moved to tears by the rediscovered words of this masterpiece. I haven’t come across a book that literally had me sobbing towards the end in a long while. There were many which moved, troubled and pulled me through an all-nighter, but Mitch Albom’s recollection tugged at my emotions really hard. I initially planned to give a clear review of this book. But my lack of writing skills and poor thought organization would undoubtedly produce a messed up one, so I rather resort to sharing a few of my marked paragraphs:

• “My friend, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb of unfulfilled business. Our words will be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of ‘I could have, I should have.’ We can all sleep in a storm.

“And when it’s time, our goodbyes will be complete.”

• THAT kind of love- the kind you realize you already have by the life you’ve created together- that’s the kind that lasts.
• “I think people expect too much from marriage today. They expect perfection. Every moment should be bliss. That’s TV or movies. But that is not the human experience. Like Sarah says, thirty good minutes here, forty good minutes there, it adds up to something beautiful. The trick is when things aren’t so great, you don’t junk the whole thing.”
• Happiness in a tablet… But pills are not going to change the fundamental problem in the construction. Wanting what you can’t have. Looking for self-worth in the mirror. Layering work on top of work and still wondering why you weren’t satisfied- before working some more.
• I know what I believed in. it’s in my soul. But I constantly tell our people: you should be convinced of the authenticity of what you have, but you must also be humble enough to say that we don’t know everything. And since we don’t know everything, we must accept that another person may believe something else.
• But it’s not me against the other guy. It’s God measuring you against you.

I had a hard time picking those six from the many highlighted parts in my copy, but I don’t want to spoil every delightful discovery in case you find time to read this book. Personally, I didn’t think there was anything original when it comes down to the lessons imparted by the author. But that exactly what made it special.

This book reminded me of the simplest lessons I learned early on in life- from parents, grandparents, teachers, even from the comic-like Bible for Kid’s edition I used to have- on faith, love and kindness. But those lessons were in the form of plain, almost-mantra like phrases we tend to outgrow over the years. This book re-introduced those familiar messages through intricate words, realistic situations and relatable characters that you would be reminded of and transported back to the very root of all the values instilled upon you, with greater conviction and firmer faith.

Reading Mitch Albom’s Have a Little Faith has been, without a dab of doubt, worthy of my time, twice over.

# posted by Liana : 8:31 PM