I first saw the book All I Really Need to Know About Life I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum during my senior year of high school. I thought the timing was very appropriate in an ironic sort of way. "Wait a minute," I thought to myself, "You mean I'm about to graduate and I could have quit 12 years ago?!" I didn't know what the book was about at the time, but the title sounded fun, and the subtitle, Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things really struck a chord with me. I have always been a "swim against the stream" kind of guy, looking at the world we live in a bit differently than my friends. So I bought the book, and little did I know then that I had just found the person that would become one of the most important people in my life, and I have never even met him!
For those who haven't read his books, Robert's books are anecdotes from his life and the lives of family members, friends, and the assorted other people he has encountered or read about over the years. The stories share a common theme that life is a wonderful adventure, though it can be difficult at times, even messy. But the best things about being human can often be found in the "messy stuff". Another trait common in his writing is the wonder of the simple life. "Success is found not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but in the sandbox at Sunday school." Not the typical advice one gives or is given, but there is genius in it if one looks close enough.
The above quote is just one of many quotes I keep with me from his Robert's books. Another favorite is about the way to live one's life, "There is a difference between making a living and making a life. Just as there is a difference between living the good life and living a good life." I made a conscious decision years ago to live my life following the latter part of those two statements when I became a teacher. Robert also writes of a realization he once had in the middle of a library on the campus of the University of Idaho, "The bad news is that books and the knowledge they contain are infinite, I will never be able to read them all. The good news is that books and the knowledge they contain are infinite, I shall never run out of things to learn." And finally, this last one reminds me that even during the tougher days, one needs to keep a smile about them, "Life is too serious to be taken seriously." I know several people who could learn from that statement.
Robert has published seven books in all. I own every single one of them and read them quite frequently. I've read them in moments of crisis, I've read them for a special occasion, and I still read them for the simple joy and good feelings they bring me. And while I don't mean to sound sacrilegious, but these seven books serve as my Bible, helping me survive some of the roughest times of my life, including the deaths of family members and my divorce.
I have just begun to tell you about the most important influence on my life. It's strange how a person I've never spoken to can be so important. And I do what I can to share his influence among my family and friends too. I have handed out many copies to loved ones as gifts for various occasions, I read from his books to my students, and I recommend his books to anyone who asks. I feel the message he delivers is a very important message, on that needs to be heard. And if that message was to spread? Well wouldn't that be a fine thing indeed.
Written Spring 2004
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