Kate Yeo

I was saving this book for my long flight back to the U.S. but it never even made it past the departure gates… I devoured it in a few hours while waiting for the check-in counter to open. This book forced me to confront my deepest fear: living a busy life of “success” that ultimately has no meaning. What a beautiful collection of hard truths cushioned by abundant love and joy and tenderness. Left me in tears!!

Summary
Tuesdays with Morrie is based on the author’s own true story. After graduating from college, Mitch Albom loses contact with a close sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, instead devoting all his time to building a successful career. Nearly twenty years later, Mitch finds out that Morrie is dying of ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no cure. In Morrie’s last months of life, Mitch visits him every Tuesday and they discuss all facets of life, from death and fear to family and society. This is Morrie’s most important class of all: the lesson of life.

My favourite quotes and insights
On our culture of productivity: So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things.

Everyone is in such a hurry. People haven’t found meaning in their lives, so they’re running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty too, and they keep running.

They were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can’t substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.

My biggest fear articulated: What happened to me? I asked myself. Morrie’s voice took me back to my university years, when I thought rich people were evil, a shirt and a tie were prison clothes, and life without the freedom to get up and go was not a good life at all. What happened to me? I traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck, and I never even realised I was doing it.

Questions Morrie asked that really jolted me: Are you giving to your community? Are you at peace with yourself? Are you trying to be as human as you can be?

On our agency to build the life we want: Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own.

Here’s what I mean by building your own little subculture,” Morrie said. “I don’t mean you disregard every rule of your community. I don’t go around naked, for example. I don’t run through red lights. The little things, I can obey. But the big things – how we think, what we value – those things you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone determine those for you.“

Rating: 10/10
While the book may seem cheesy or cliched, somehow it just works. The author sets up the context well and it’s hard not for it to tug at your heartstrings knowing that this was based on a true story. This is for sure a book that I will keep coming back to as a reminder of the life I want to live… If you’ve been struggling with burnout, stress, major life decisions, or just looking for a little inspiration, go get yourself a copy from the nearest library!! 🥲