Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams

by Mike Dooley

'Infinite' just arrived in today's mail. I've wanted it for some time and the One Spirit book club reminded me I had one more selection to fulfill my obligation. So I ordered Mike's book with righteous cause.

I've still got three John Irving's to read checked out of the library but I don't think I'm going to make it through them. Yes, I already renewed. I joined a wee group to study and work with "The Artist's Way" which is a writing path. I'm finding the 'morning pages' to be extremely useful to my inspired writing. But this is about Mike's Infinite Possibilities isn't it Carol? Yes, but it's also about all the other books I'm 'doing' right now. I'm committed to the daily lessons in "A Course In Miracles" that meets once a month after service at Unity as well. And I bought and am reading the "Writing Down the Soul". Whew.

If that isn't enough I've just begun a three year commitment to the Board of Unity of the Huachucas and there's a lot of reading to that just now. Well, I like to read, right? Right.

Can't sit here typing my heart out, gotta get back to reading. Be well. Be happy. See you soon I hope.

A Quote from Dick Francis

I didn't write in my quote notebook which of Dick's books this came from. Sorry.

"... I learned something from you. I learned not to go around squealing when things weren't fair. I learned to shrug off small injustices and get on with the next thing and put my energies in the future instead of rabbiting about the past. I learned not to mind too much when things went against me."

A Hero of mine died today.

Photo of Dick and Felix Francis

From an article in the Telegraph (UK):
Dick Francis passed away at his Caribbean home in Grand Cayman, according to a short statement released through his publicist.

During the latter part of his life Francis became best known as one of the most popular British thriller writers, penning 42 novels based on the horse racing industry, as well as an autobiography, The Sport of Queens, and a biography of Lester Piggott.
But those achievements stemmed from a successful earlier career as a National Hunt jockey, winning over 350 races and being honored as Champion Jockey for the 1953/4 season.
He rode eight times in the Grand National, including for the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1956. On that occasion his horse, Devon Loch, collapsed beneath him as he appeared to be on course for victory.
A small funeral is planned at Francis's home in Grand Cayman, followed by a memorial service in London.
He is survived by two sons, Felix and Merrick.
Felix Francis said: "My brother, Merrick, and I are, of course devastated by the loss of our father, but we rejoice in having been the sons of such an extraordinary man. We share in the joy that he brought to so many over such a long life. It is an honor for me to be able to continue his remarkable legacy through the new novels.”
His wife Mary, to whom he was married for 53 years, died in 2000.

John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany

I've let John Irving slip past me somehow. Even though I've seen the movies made from "The World According to Garp" and "The Cider House Rules" and enjoyed them both. I don't know how I could have missed checking his work before now. In any case, I am reading the Owen Meany one and laughing out loud every little while. How wonderful to have a great author to discover (even if the rest of the world has already done so long ago). The first person character is Owen's best friend from early school days. Owen himself is a tiny person who comes off as bigger than life.

I'll have more to say when I finish the book. This is just a heads up.

Anne Tyler's latest novel Noah's Compass

I reserved the book through the library. It was late in the day when I got it home. I had other things to do, but once I was in bed and able to rest I could not resist reading some of the first chapter. Well, that led to chapter two and so on. I could hardly put it down and I've been carrying it around to read at any spare moment. That's how I am with really good writing. It's like food for the soul.

'Tis the Season

This morning I read a Leo Buscaglia Christmas book
Seven Stories of Christmas Love. I no sooner finished the last page than Sharon dropped in to visit and I passed the library book along to her since she's a Leo B fan also. [Sharon don't read the next paragraph until you've finished the last story]

I was especially moved by the last story in the book since it was an adult life incident where he had a heart attack just before Christmas and his family wanted to cancel Christmas until he could join them. He, of course, insisted that they carry on as planned, especially for the children in the family. It was poignant to me because that is what he ultimately died of about a decade later at age 74 - June 12 1998 - to be exact.

His delightful book not only made me miss Leo whom I met once when he was speaking in Tucson in the early nineties, but it made me miss all the loved ones I shared Christmas with (like my mom, my uncle, my brother-in-law). I had him autograph his
Freddie the Leaf
for my grandson A.J. who was a toddler at the time. There was a long, long line both in front of me and behind. One of the organizers told me he would stay to greet everyone no matter how long it took. I cried. He looked so tired. I wanted to tell everyone waiting to give him a break and go home, but I didn't.
I didn't mean this to be sad when I started writing.

'Tis the season to miss those gone before us, perhaps.

A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle

My copy of this book is so used that I'd be embarrassed to loan it out any more. I made many notes from it as I was recovering from my knee surgery.I've ordered a fresh used copy from Amazon. I propose to re-read it. The following is a review of the book I did for our Feb. 2009 BCSL Book club.

The New Earth teaches letting go of ego with nonattachment, nonjudgment and nonresistance and awakening with acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm. Eckhart leads you in a step by step progression.

He includes illustrative stories like this one about the Zen master whose neighbor's teenage daughter names him as the father of her child instead of revealing the father's true identity. When confronted with this accusation by the young girl's parents the master says, "Is that so?" News of his paternity ruins the master's reputation. When the baby is born the grandparents hand the baby to him and tell him to raise the child. He takes the baby in and raises her as his own. After a year the teenage mother confesses that the master is not the father and tells her parents the biological father's identity. They confront the master and demand the baby back.They tell him he is not the father. He answers, "Is that so?" and gives the toddler to them.

Another story lesson in the text that I liked was about hos Krishnamurti came on stage for a talk he was scheduled to make. He asked the audience if they wnated to know his secret. They said, "Yes!" Krishnamurti said, "I don't mind what happens," then left the stage.

Life of Pi is one of the modern writing classics

I'm not sure if writing this good inspires or discourages me. Depends on my mood likely. But I'm definitely impressed.

I was sitting outside the cafeteria at the Copper Queen hospital eating my lunch. I had the book laying on the table next to my tray and two people of the four or five who passed by commented, "Oh, I love that book," and "That's my favorite book." Wow. John, who was across the table from me was impressed too, more than he was when I tried to explain to him what it was about. The copy I have is borrowed. Mary Walker my good fellow-reader buddy, loaned it to me. But I'm think I'm going to want to own my own copy. It's that good.

Here's a quote on fear: "I must say a word about fear. It is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary, how well I know it. It has no decency, respects no law or convention, shows no mercy. It goes for your weakest spot, which it finds with unerring ease. It begins in your mind, always." His whole Chapter 56 is on this topic. Most excellently put. So well that it might make you feel fearful.

It's my belief that if you can get past fear, your life will flow more easily past the rocky places. Teach yourself a new response. I use anger sometimes, it's not good either, but it's better than fear. I want to get to the response of non-judgemental assessment without fear or anger.

Here's a quote on faith: "Faith in God is an opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love - but sometimes it was hard to love." Couldn't agree more.

The reading guide in the back of the book had this question(#7): "There is a lot of storytelling in this religious novel. Is there a relationship between religion and story telling? Is religion a form of storytelling? Is there a theological dimension in storytelling?" The questions aren't as interesting to me as the fact that the author is calling the story of Pi's adventure a "religious novel". Admittedly, Pi's three-fold religious beliefs; Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity, are touched on in more than one place, but for me the overall story is simply an adventure.

Here's a quote on wonder: " At moments of wonder, it is easy to avoid small thinking, to entertain thoughts that span the universe, that capture both thunder and tinkle, thick and thin, the near and the far." I had more than one moment of wonder as a reader of the Life of Pi and I had many moments of laughter too.

Is this Yann Martel's masterpiece? Time will tell. I believe it to be a masterpiece but there may be more than one in him yet. Let's hope so for our own sakes. Thank you Mary Walker.