A couple of months ago I watched a movie called “Funny People.” Yes, it is a comedy, and even though comedies are not my favorite genre, I thought there was a good message behind it. This movie – along with a wonderful book I just read and having celebrated Valentine’s Day just last week – gave me the idea of writing about this subject: Getting Real.

In the movie, the main character finds out that he is about to die and therefore starts getting in touch with the people and places that matter the most to him; he gets in touch with his heart and his emotions, and he starts to be who he truly is. Months go by and, after taking a new medication, his doctor tells him that the medicine had a positive reaction on him and the sickness was eradicated…. he gets to live! He gets a second chance! He was overjoyed, but only for a while. Even though he tried to stay in touch with his heart, in just a few days he fell into the same old patterns and finally lost his inner connection. It is when he starts feeling all alone again that he realizes that something needs to change; he realizes that this time he needs to change and that real change will take some time.

After I watched this movie I began questioning myself: “Why do people only Get Real when they are faced with tragedy, with sickness, with death?” “Why are we rushing all the time trying to get or be somewhere else when our present moment – giving our full attention to everyone around us – is the best practice we can do?” “Why do we tend to live just on the surface and don’t take the opportunity to connect with people at a deeper level?” “Why not be Real every day of our lives?”

Valentine’s Day was approaching and my sweetheart and I were having one of those good and deep conversations we often share. This time the conversation was about Love. We were trying to find a way to celebrate this special day in a different way. We wanted to use Valentine’s Day as a way to celebrate our love but this time at a deeper level – with some special commitments that could help bring us even closer. So for a while we were talking about this idea of Getting Real, getting in touch with our deepest feelings and emotions, and letting them be the sail that guides our boat through the ocean of our lives. At the end, he shared with me a book that he read a while ago and believed would be very appreciated, and very appropriate, for this conversation .

The book is called “Tuesdays with Morrie,” and is written by Mitch Albom. Perhaps you have heard of it or you have seen the movie. Maybe you have already read the book, or maybe you have not. But if you haven’t read it please, please, please do!

I can’t describe to you how deeply this book has touched me. It made me laugh, but it also made me cry. This loving story teaches us those things we ought to know already, but have somehow forgotten. I won’t give anything away – you will have to find out for yourself. The only thing I can promise is that this book will change the way you see your life because the subject of the book is about just that: The Meaning of Life.

So this is my invitation for this week: if you want to Get Real, if you really want to find out what this truly means, make the commitment to go to your favorite bookstore, go to the author’s website, go to amazon.com, and GET THE BOOK. I promise you won’t regret it; you will enrich your life through every page and the teachings will stay with you forever!

“The truth is Mitch,” Morrie said, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”

With Love and Light,

Gaby

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 10:16 pm and is filed under Inspirationals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.