Tuesdays with Morrie

Finally, finally I brought myself a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.

I have been planning to buy this book forever, everytime I thought of buying it, I either did not find the book or forgot about it once I entered the book store:):)
n finally today, managed to pick it up at a roadside seller in commercial street...yaaaaa:):)

I have read this book about 4 times already...the first time being when I was 18..and frankly the book dint make much sense to me then( guess i was a typical dumb teenager:):) anyways, the second time I read the book, well I somehow ended up liking it a lot...have read it 2 times after that and everytime I read this book, it makes a little more sense to me:):)

Recommend this book to everyone, it is definitly worth the money.

Qutoes from the book----

"Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do."

"I decided I'm going to live-- or at least try to live- the way I want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure"

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think is important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is devote yourself to loving others, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves and you have to be strong enough to say if it doesn't work don't buy it."

"If you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down at you anyhow. And if you're trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone."

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you trust them, too - even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling."

Sunder (transitive verb)
To break apart; to separate; to divide; to sever.
e.g: As the issue of slavery threatened to sunder the United States, President Abraham Lincoln, using biblical language, warned that "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

Vicissitude (noun)
1. Regular change or succession from one thing to another; alternation; mutual succession; interchange.2. Irregular change; revolution; mutation.3. A change in condition or fortune.
e.g: This man had, after many vicissitudes of fortune, sunk at last into abject and hopeless poverty.

Agon (noun)
A struggle or contest; conflict; especially between the protagonist and antagonist in a literary work.
e.g: It is the irresolvable love-hate agon between men and women that drives all cultures.

Condign (adjective)
Suitable to the fault or crime; deserved; adequate.
e.g: He is a violent criminal and, like other criminals, he should be brought to condign punishment.

Gimcrack(noun)
1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.
eg:Yet the set is more than a collection of pretty gimcracks.

Lugubrious ( adjective)
1. Mournful; indicating sorrow, often in a way that seems feigned, exaggerated, or ridiculous.
2. Gloomy; dismal.
eg:Oh yes, he says, and his lugubrious expression suggests that the loss afflicts him still.

Venal (adjective)
1. Capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration; held for sale; salable; purchasable.
2. Capable of being corrupted.
e.g: Not everything was so venal in this operation, however. Sometimes votes were bought outright, but this was frowned on if the sums were too high.

Chary (adjective)
1. Wary; cautious.
2. Not giving or expending freely; sparing.
e.g: When I visited Sissinghurst with my growing family she was always welcoming, eager for our news but chary of her own.

Words

Ok, think my language has really deteriorated over the years...so have decided to learn atleast two new words every week

Words for today:

Recondite(adjective):
1. Difficult to understand; abstruse.
2. Concerned with obscure subject matter.
e.g He is a poet's poet, says another admirer, sometimes recondite and always deeply aware of the formal tradition of poetry.

Susurration(noun):
A whispering sound; a soft murmur.
e.g . . .the soft susurration of the wind through a stand of whistling thorn.

Deride(verb):
To laugh at with contempt; to subject to ridicule or make sport of; to mock; to scoff at.
e.g I had no desire to endorse idiocy -- but neither could I be seen to deride a colleague.