Tuesdays with Morrie…

By On · 17 Comments · In blog

A little piece from one of Andys favorite books.

‘Everybody knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently,’ Morrie said.

‘So we kid ourselves about death,’ I (Mitch) said.

‘Yes, but there’s a better approach. To know you’re going to die and be prepared for it at any time. That’s better. That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you’re living. . . Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?… The truth is, Mitch, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live… Most of us 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… Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.’”

Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom

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  • Beth Forrester

    Wonderful book with powerful & wise life lessons! Love this xx

  • Irene Mitropoulos

    Learn how to die and you learn how to live….that is so clear. If only people stopped sleep walking and woke the f**k up…. Do what u love and love what u do day in and day out. LIVE… Xxx

  • Madeleine

    I was just listening to a podcast today about this very issue. I learned I need to be present in my body and start showing my soul to the world. I also learned that I need to really stop living in the past and stop worrying about the future! and when I stop this destructive behavior then I know I am LIVING. (sigh) so many things to learn in this life and so blessed to have Vashti and my maybe mcqueen brothers and sisters by my side to help put things into perspective. thank you!!!!! xxxx

  • Tess

    This makes me think of my fear of flying. For some reason, as I grew up and got older, I developed a fear of flying. Something about the fear caused by having something to lose. I declined a trip to Las Vegas offered by my husband, and drove 9 hours to Disneyworld with a pair of toddlers, as opposed to a 2 hour plane trip…all due to the thought of self preservation.

    Fast-forward to a few years later, and the opportunity to take a life’s dream trip to Scotland came up. Only, I would have to fly to get there. I struggled, and searched, and finally came to the conclusion that I would rather have an experience of a lifetime, even if I died having it, than never live it at all. So began my journey.

    Scotland was amazing.

    And I am now an experienced flyer.

    • Kris

      I admire this SOOO much! I am terrified to fly. The thought of being in a pressurized tube with NO control scares the hell out of me!
      I have flown before but rarely and never anything longer than a couple hours. My dream as of late has been to go to England and Ireland. I’m a history buff and would love to see all the old Roman forts and stone monuments and castle ruins. I am just scared stiff of a 7 hour plane ride! Over the ocean, no less!

      I am aiming to take this trip for my 40th. I just need to gather the courage. And a bottle of wine. And I will need said bottle just to buy the ticket! I will do it…I have to!
      Thank you for posting this! It gave me a jolt. :)

      • susan mangan

        Go for it Kris! You can do it!! Overcoming fear is the best feeling in the world. And defo come to Ireland – despite the rain it’s a wonderful place. And if you’re drunk getting off the plane sure you’ll fit right in…………..

        • Kris

          Thanks for the vote of confidence, Susan! I need the kick in the pants to stop letting fear dictate what I do from day to day. One of my favorite quotes is “A life lived in fear is a life half lived”….so true! I just need to put into practice that belief.
          And I love rain! And wine. And irish whiskey. I am sure I will be right at home the second the plane touches down!
          You rock girl. :)

  • Sally T.

    It’s exactly the reason I dropped everything from my calendar this weekend to spend a few treasured days with a dear friend. There won’t be a better time to have a life than right now!

  • susan mangan

    Having almost died myself not so long ago this one really resonates. And i have to say my attitute really has changed since then. Life really is too short to sweat the small stuff. The day i walked out of the hospital after my final discharge the one quote that i kept hearing in my head was the Tim Robbins one from Shawshank Redemption – “Get busy living, or get busy dying”.

    So i fully believe you should do all the things you want to do – at least give them a shot coz when you get to the end of your life do you want to look back and say: “What a pity, i wish I….” or “I got on the plane!!” (Good woman Tess!!)

    So happy Tuesday everyone! Make it a good one! And thanks Vashti for another thought provoking one!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1226116395 Irene Mahon

    my poor mum died at 59 with a heartattack ..1978..i had a heartattack 2004 …i was 53…..trying to work out why she died and i did nt is strange …..i ask why all the time but i never find the answer……xxxxx

  • Paula

    God I loved that book….perfect wisdom x

  • theval68

    this is eye opening as I have been sleepwalking since 1995. I go though the motions but not fully active in the actions. I so want to breathe again, but forgot how… I will be a work in progress.

  • Susana Matos Nunes

    I gues this is just like that and we will never take the real chance of living our life tottaly. Unless… We could know our “period of validity”. When we are young we enjoy life much better, and when the time pass by we just moving on, slowly, leaving that stuff for tomorrow… How many times we say: do not leave for tomorrow what you can do today! But we really don’t apply it! I love to do that, but… The son, the neighbor, mumm, friend… What they all think? If I was younger it was ok!… How can I do that If my companier doesn’t feel like me for doing it? This are just examples… And the worst part is: we all know how wrong this is!… But just keep doing it!
    There was a great comic portuguese actor (António Feio) who lost is battle to cancer :( … The point is, he left us one book with words just like that… Saying us to live our lifes fully, say everything and do everything we want to, while we can…
    We just can’t, fullish thing… Why?
    These humans are strange, don’t you agree?
    Kisses for you (X), Jesse (X) and Indi (X); how is she?
    Steel here V., sorry not being a guy…. ;0)

  • http://twitter.com/PennyDouglas Penny Douglas

    So true! xoxo <3 <3

  • Anne
  • G.

    Nothing brings us to thinking of our own mortality more than the death of a loved one. It sharply reminds us that we are only here on a temporary basis. We all like to believe that we are fixed objects, that everything revolves around us as if we were a planet with several moons idolized by orbit. We spend very little time thinking of the price we all have to pay for living. None of us wish to say goodbye but eventually we all have to. Those few who are lucky are able to speak their very last words to their loved ones while others fade away silently. We can only hope that when that moment arrives; that dreaded moment that so many of us fear, we can find peace and acceptance and willingly relinquish our tight hold upon life and let go and carry within our hearts the gifts of love giving to us throughout our life.

  • Claire Howdle

    I used to have quite a fear surrounding death which made me very careful and sensible and well… very boring. Then the more i experienced it around me i began to think of it differently. The best way i can describe it, is from the film Avatar: All energy is only borrowed, one day we must give it back. So while i have it on loan i may as well grow, stretch and spend it until pay day comes, when the next big adventure begins. Great thought provoking post Vashti xx