From the work in progress Life: A Book About Learning to Live
By Jim Rosemergy
For me each day begins as late as possible. I don’t do mornings. I like the night; it’s when I usually do my writing; however, Life: A Book About Learning To Live began one morning at 4:15 am. I awoke abruptly with ideas pouring through my mind. I tried to dismiss them and go back to sleep, but they kept repeating themselves again and again. I knew from experience that I might as well get up and capture in writing the ideas that had roused me from a restful night’s sleep.
I got up, looked in disbelief at the ungodly time on the bedside clock, and grabbed a pen. For forty-five minutes, I jotted down ideas as fast as I could. I sensed what was happening was important. For decades, I had written about life. I never thought of it that way, but stepping back from all the words, it was easy to see that I was a voice crying out about life, seeking to understand it. Writers have written about life ever since they first etched pictures on the walls of caves. What else is there to write about?
We think of death as a mystery, but it is life that is the greater mystery. All of us, whether we write or not, are voices speaking about our special brand, experience, and understanding of life. Daily, we make known what we think about it.
I have lived for over 60 years. I am no expert on life, but I have observed myself and others trying to live triumphantly. Observation is a great teacher. We fall down; we get up. We look for happiness. Some of us seem to find it for a time, but then we have to search for it again. We suffer, and for some of us, the suffering makes us stronger. Others never find strength, only bitterness. Some of us want to live forever; others take their own lives. Life is indeed the greater mystery.
I do not believe that Life: A Book About Learning To Live is solely a collection of thoughts and ideas I have gleaned from my experiences on earth. There might be some value to what I’ve learned, but it would be better if the content of this book was not only my voice, but the voice of countless numbers of people who have given attention to the mystery of life.
This is my hope. I realize that this expectation adds a mystical quality to this work, but this is what I believe. The words that are shared on the pages that follow are not solely my own. In fact, I trust that my thoughts and ideas would never awaken me in the middle of the night, but if I am roused, I will cling to the assurance that something greater is at work ~ something that is of value to the human family.