I'm having a slow start to reading this book. We have a lot of things going on at home, but I finally put aside some time to settle my brain, and read.
As I read, it quickly and easily became apparent that Fox is inherently a humorous individual, who has a lighthearted approach to life, despite the severity of the situation he faces, including his PD condition. He's able to make himself the to butt of jokes, and poke fun at himself constantly. I believe it takes strong sense of one's self-worth and contentedness with life to be able to do so. Such an attribute might even be necessary to "always looking up."
Although not directly tied to the theme of the book, I appreciate some of the insights he's shared, which confirm some of my own beliefs.
As I read, it quickly and easily became apparent that Fox is inherently a humorous individual, who has a lighthearted approach to life, despite the severity of the situation he faces, including his PD condition. He's able to make himself the to butt of jokes, and poke fun at himself constantly. I believe it takes strong sense of one's self-worth and contentedness with life to be able to do so. Such an attribute might even be necessary to "always looking up."
Although not directly tied to the theme of the book, I appreciate some of the insights he's shared, which confirm some of my own beliefs.
- "'Some of the best friends you'll ever meet in your life, you'll meet through your children--mothers and fathers of their friends, parents from school. [...] It's one of the many gifts of parenting.'" Not a parent yet myself, I'm whole heartedly hoping that when we do become parents, that we're able to grow our circle of friends here in California.
- "Every failure I have considered my own, but every success has been shared." I tend to agree with this statement, in hindsight with any of my successes related to school, work or family. I couldn't have done it without support of my family and friends. They keep me motivated when I feel defeated, and the encouragement they provide fuels me to strive further.
- "[...] I asked him what he thought was the essential ingredient for a successful foundation. "It's all about the people you surround yourself with," he said. "You can't do it alone.'"
Continuing onto Part 2...
Part 1:
ReplyDeleteI started out feeling rather optimistic when I began reading this book. There’s no doubt Fox is a funny guy, so I was expecting the book to be funny. And it was the humour that intrigued me to continue reading the book. Except it was long before I started to skip works, lines, and paragraphs and skim through pages.
I agreed to go on board with reading the book because of struggles in my personal life that are taking a heavy toll on me, and just by reading the title I felt this was exactly what I need. What lured me more into reading on was the way he was dealing with the struggles of life and PD. Often when faced with struggles, we try to be positive about it, I know I was trying, but some of us easily get discouraged. And by seeing the way he took things on, by joking about it, and being proactive about it – gave me the encouragement to do the same. Well, not joke about it. What inspired me was the way Fox showed dealt with his illness: he had to do something about it and find the confidence (which is so difficult!) to not just face it but accept it and continue to value yourself. It made me realize that I had to go on with my life too the way Fox is, and I have to find the good things in life that will always inspire me to look up.
I highlighted the same quotes that Sara did that I felt were speaking out –no, screaming to me. I’ve had much struggles in life, I had to struggle through my entire academic life, only to find out on the day of my university graduation that the reason why its always been so hard, and the reason why I must attend my graduation (because I didn’t want to) was because within the couple of first years of school teachers and specialists in had diagnosed me with border line learning disability and told my parents that I will be lucky if I even graduate college. My parents never told me, but only kept on me to try my best and that it was ok if I didn’t get A’s and B’s like everyone else. But I would still cry because I’d struggle to have the best project or essay and I’d barely pass. After hearing about my learning disability, apart from feeling relieved, I also felt more confident because all this time with all the success and failures I encountered, my family was always there for me. Their support was what got me through. Much like Fox’s PD condition, the reason why he’s able to face it with such confidence and happiness is simply because of the people he’s been surrounded with.
I won’t deny it; I’m having a seriously difficult time getting on with the book. It may be due to the fact that I’m eagerly seeking a book that will give me an escape. Don’t worry, I promise to finish this book, and soon!
Sana! You can pick next!!!
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