Overall, this book was an easy, quick read. It's a collection of brief essays, all heartwarming and reaffirming the goodness of human nature. Plus, the essays are funny. If you're feeling kind of blue, this is a nice little pick-me-up.
The topics touch on daily life ("the daily ordinariness of life") - everything from laundry, chicken-fried steak, crayons, visits to the zoo, neighbors to flight. It might make you appreciate ordinary moments more deeply. I felt more optimistic after finishing this book.
The author, Robert Fulghum, has written other books that I'm curious about and am adding to my reading list.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Every person passing through this life will unknowingly leave something and take something away. Most of this "something" cannot be seen or heard or numbered. It does not show up in a census. But nothing counts without it." (119)
"Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A Beauty Bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air...And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination." (52)
On Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony, which he composed when he was deaf: "Out of all that sorrow and trouble, out of all that frustration and disappointment, out of all that deep and permanent silence, came all that majesty - that outpouring of JOY and exaltation! He defied his fate with jubilation!" (113)
To appreciating ordinary moments more deeply, to crayons, and to music.
No comments:
Post a Comment