“We all have crinkled pages in our book of life, but that doesn’t change our story”

I had a friend tell me this a few days ago & it got me thinking so I sat down to write. I have often considered life a book due to my favorite quote, 

“The world is a book, & those who don’t travel read only a page.” ~Saint Augustine 

While I wholeheartedly concur with both of these statements, I’d like to add a little something to the whole concept of the book of life. A good book is worn completely out, & so is a good life. Now, that may sound downright depressing, but I can assure you it is quite the opposite! Think about it. A good book is not one left sitting on the shelf collecting dust with all of its crisp pages still perfectly in tact. A good book gets used! It gets picked up by someone to be read & possibly reread & then passed down for someone else to read over & over again. The pages become soft & easy to turn. They gain “crinkles” & coffee or tea stains. Quotes are highlighted & notes scribbled in the margins. The binding gives out & cover begins to falter, letting go pages & curling up at the corners. The book is scoured through from the first word to the last. No page left unturned, no statement left unnoticed, all relevant & equally important. A story without heartache, struggle, or tugging at the heartstrings in any other way is anticlimactic & boring. A story not worth reading. A good book engages you through the ups & the downs, & when it’s over you accept each part & its vitality. 

Now compare that to life. When you die, do you want to have lived a good life or bad? Because it is just that simple. If you tiptoe through life, afraid of being hurt, afraid of taking risks & afraid of change you will live a sad, boring life. You are the book no one wants, collecting dust in the corner. Sure you are still structurally sound. Your pages aren’t ripped, your ink isn’t smeared, your cover is still in tact. You may still meet the manufacturer’s specifications, but you have not truly lived! You must let go & trust life. Bad things are going to happen, it is inevitable. People will die before you are ready, other’s will walk out of your life against your will. You will be sad, you will feel pain. You may break some bones, get stitched up or develop an illness, but that is part of living. If everyone’s story was destined to be the same, there would be no point in writing them, AKA no point in living. It is the excitement of not knowing what is going to happen that makes our stories interesting. In allowing ourselves to feel pain so that we can relish in the joyous moments. Just like a good book, a good life will have highlights, miraculous moments that earn a spotlight in our memories. We will take notes from those wiser than us—side note: it isn’t a bad idea to keep a notebook handy to jot down that which adds value to our story; quotes, nuggets of wisdom, explanations, etc. We gain texture, or character, to the pages of our life like rips or stains by going through the trials of life. Your exterior facade may give out & you curl up secluding yourself from others. A good life is worn out, emotionally exhausted, perhaps the physical body is literally depreciating. Yet, when that life comes to an end, regardless of age, the book written is a great story! A complete, if even short, novel with enough plot twists & drama to keep the audience entertained. 

The type of life you live is certainly a personal choice left entirely up to you. But I hope that regardless of which path you choose, you can learn to accept that suffering, both physical & mental is a requirement for life. Change is inevitable. Do not miss out on living life to the fullest because you are hurting. It is okay to allow ourselves moments of pain to break the monotony of pleasure, but do not dwell in the depths. Every moment, every experience, every person you encounter, every situation you find yourself in is an integral part of your existence. So don’t go down with any chapters left unfinished, any blank pages or unsolved mysteries. Be a page turner! ❤