kid in a candy store. monkey on a cupcake. tickled pink. running amok in sheer delight. any of these phrases could capture my glee when donald miller’s new book showed up in my mailbox today. kid? i have a kid? what? where? oh, i lost my page!
seriously, don’s writings find a secret passageway into my soul. and much like a kid in a candy store, it jumps around causing me to think and wonder and wander and wish and hope. i had to read jj several of the first pages. then he left. so i’m stuck here wanting to call all my friends and read all the wonderful passages to them. instead, let me tempt you into contributing to don’s means of living by buying the book by offering this snippet:
“I’ve wondered, though, if one of the reasons we fail to acknowledge the brilliance of this life is because we don’t want the responsibility inherent in the acknowledgement. We don’t want to be characters in a story because characters have to move and breathe and face conflict with courage. And if life isn’t remarkable, then we don’t have to do any of that; we can be unwilling victims rather than grateful participants.” (p 59).
did i mention that the book is generally about story and what makes story (which i love) captivating? what makes you leave a theatre or put down a book with tears, laughter or the desire to go home and kiss your husband? there’s something to it. and don proposes… get this… that we could, perhaps, live intentionally in a great story. maybe we’re not happy with our story – so we must want something and overcome obstacles in order to get it.
i’ll just have to leave it at that. beautiful. if you need me, i’ll be on my couch, deep into chapter ten.