Giving is Living

 “Giving is Living”

Mitch Albom, the author of "Tuesdays with Morrie," reflects on the final weeks before his sad demise. During one of Mitch's meetings with Morrie, he discovered that a man like him, who suffers from an incurable neurological disease, is somehow happier than a man like Mitch, who is a middle-aged healthy man who makes decent money. The distinction is clear: Mitch was concerned with growing his list of accomplishments, but Morrie was concerned with giving love and joy to everyone he met and touching people's hearts.

Mitch was not the only one who met Morrie; after his appearance on "The Nightline," several people approached him. They all had a concept when it came to interacting with a dying guy, which was to always attempt to make them happy and to be effervescent. However, everyone bursts into tears because Morrie was so sweet, continuously asking them questions, and they were crying because they felt soothed. Finally, Mitch came in and questioned how he was able to be cheerful despite having so many challenges, such as being unable to move and genuinely hitting rock bottom.

Their last chat was genuinely heartbreaking; Morrie was laying down, which he despised because he believed that being in bed meant he was dead. Mitch had a feeling it would be his last visit. All Morrie ever wants is for Mitch to visit his grave, chat to him, bring him a sandwich, and have a picnic with him. He was flabbergasted by Morrie's suggestion; this time, instead of Morrie talking to him, he would speak and Morrie would listen. Morrie tries to convey this concept by using the piggy bank as an example: after you put a coin in, even though it's gone, if you shake the piggy bank, you can still hear the coin.

We, like Morrie, must find enjoyment despite his grave sickness. We need to start spreading love and spending more time with our loved ones because, as Morrie mentioned, the more time you make for the people you love and the more time you give yourself to them, the longer you will remain in people's minds and hearts. Morrie's life story has deeply moved me; as a result, I will begin spending more time with the people I care about the most and attempt to focus on meaningful relationships rather than materialistic items. Love always triumphs.