Author: Mitch Albom
Year: 1997
Length: 199 pages
First Lines: "The last class of my old professor's life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience."
Tuesday with Morrie is by no means a recent or unknown book. It has received a lot of press throughout the years and been made into a movie. Yet, every so often I find myself perusing its pages, skimming through Morrie's often simple truths. As a short book (barely 200 pages in the 2007 reprint), Tuesday with Morrie could easily be devoured in a single sitting. This time around, I read a chapter here or there over the course of a few months.
Despite the obviously sad overall theme, Tuesdays with Morrie is a book that makes me smile. My background is in public health education and gerontology. I spent most of my time in college with older adults, not exactly common for someone in my generation. I have seen first hand the kind of impact a little quality time can have in the life of an older adult, especially those in assisted living or daycare facilities. I am an advocate for intergenerational relationships, like that of Morrie and Mitch, and cannot stress enough the benefits to both age groups.
You do not have to have any special training or skills to have a great impact on the life of another person of any age. If you are willing to give a bit of time, a little of yourself, you can make a difference. For me, that is perhaps the greatest message of Tuesdays with Morrie.
In Morrie's (and Mitch's) words (pages 126-127):
"There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need," Morrie said. "You need food, you want a chocolate sundae. You have to be honest with yourself. You don't need the latest sports car, you don't need the biggest house. The truth is, you don't get satisfaction from those things. You know what really gives you satisfaction?"
What?
"Offering others what you have to give."
You sound like a Boy Scout.
"I don't mean money, Mitch. I mean your time. Your concern. Your storytelling. It's not so hard. There's a senior center that opened near here. Dozens of elderly people come there every day. If you're a young man or young woman and you have a skill, you are asked to come and teach it. Say you know computers. You come there and teach them computers. You are very welcome there. And they are very grateful. This is how you start to get respect, by offering something that you have. There are plenty of places to do this. You don't need to have a big talent. There are lonely people in hospitals and shelters who only want some companionship. You play cards with a lonely older man and you find new respect for yourself, because you are needed. Remember what I said about finding a meaningful life? I wrote it down, but now I can recite it: Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. You notice," he added, grinning, "there's nothing in there about a salary."
