I know it's been over a month since I said that. It hasn't taken me that long to read 132 pages (that took a few hours). It took that long to find a book I really wanted to read.
I found The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
at Goodwill one day last weekend. I'd seen the movie, but it's on so many "Best Books" lists, I was curious.
And as is usually the case, the book is SO much better.
The book tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle. In 1995, he suffered a stroke that left him with "locked-in syndrome". Permanently paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking his left eye, he dictated the entire book one letter at a time.
By page 38, I knew this book would be life-altering.
(I hate when people say this or that "changed my life", but sometimes it's true.)
In this case, he describes being fed a "brownish fluid" through a tube into his stomach. But in his mind, he can go to any restaurant at any time, eat any meal - tender beef, fresh vegetables, wine, fruit...
At the time, I was eating stale microwave popcorn.
I rarely cook for "just me". And I'm toocheap frugal (sigh) cheap to eat out often, or even get takeout. At grocery stores, I balk at expensive cheese (and I love cheese!), the olive bar, and even those $5 bags of little clementines. Instead I eat whatever is cheapest and easiest (i.e. microwave popcorn).
But, that (among other things) is going to change.
Towards the end of the book, he describes the day of the stroke - it was "gray, muted, resigned" (can you picture it, and your mood on days like that?), and how he and his girlfriend, "embarked like zombies...".
Side note: If you've never seen the movie Shaun of the Dead
(first of all, you should! It's awesome!), it also depicts people going about their everyday lives as zombies (before many actually become zombies).
He then "mechanically carried out all those simple acts", like shaving and dressing, and goes on to describe his plans for the night, the weekend... He thinks about calling his girlfriend, but decides to call her later...
The morale of the story is, of course - just live every day, savor everything (even the small, insignificant everyday events and abilities), and don't wait for a "later" that may not come...
at Goodwill one day last weekend. I'd seen the movie, but it's on so many "Best Books" lists, I was curious.And as is usually the case, the book is SO much better.
The book tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French Elle. In 1995, he suffered a stroke that left him with "locked-in syndrome". Permanently paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking his left eye, he dictated the entire book one letter at a time.
By page 38, I knew this book would be life-altering.
(I hate when people say this or that "changed my life", but sometimes it's true.)
In this case, he describes being fed a "brownish fluid" through a tube into his stomach. But in his mind, he can go to any restaurant at any time, eat any meal - tender beef, fresh vegetables, wine, fruit...
At the time, I was eating stale microwave popcorn.
I rarely cook for "just me". And I'm too
But, that (among other things) is going to change.
Towards the end of the book, he describes the day of the stroke - it was "gray, muted, resigned" (can you picture it, and your mood on days like that?), and how he and his girlfriend, "embarked like zombies...".
Side note: If you've never seen the movie Shaun of the Dead
(first of all, you should! It's awesome!), it also depicts people going about their everyday lives as zombies (before many actually become zombies).He then "mechanically carried out all those simple acts", like shaving and dressing, and goes on to describe his plans for the night, the weekend... He thinks about calling his girlfriend, but decides to call her later...
The morale of the story is, of course - just live every day, savor everything (even the small, insignificant everyday events and abilities), and don't wait for a "later" that may not come...
