Lately I’ve been reading all non-fiction books. Nothing intentional. I just have been finding more attention-grabbing titles and topics in that area. But I recently found the need to escape in a good fictional story line for a change. Before a flight a few months back I stopped in one of the airport shops for a snack and magazine in preparation for being stuck on the plane for 4 hours. (The sacrifices of traveling. Sigh.) I looked up on the shelf to find a book staring back at me. “Terry McMillan has a new book?!”…I thought in awe to myself. “Well this has to be good!”. I read the story summary and was sold!
I don’t want to give away too much of the book. Instead of sharing too many details of the story line, I’ll share 5 pearls of wisdom (some more so reminders) that I gained from the book. Particularly when it comes to taking leaps of faith and making key life decisions.
1) Have patience in pursuing your dreams.
If you’re like me, you may dream in full color then go into hyper-planning mode, envisioning your dreams coming to reality like…tomorrow. Just the other day I planned a full on vacation to the UK equipped with a business plan that would fund the whole trip. Mind you in my excitement I had envisioned this all happening within a matter of a few months. Then I slowed myself down with a gentle reminder that these things don’t happen overnight.
Likewise the main character in “I Almost Forgot About You”, Georgia, is also planning a trip and has some business plans of her own in mind. Though along the course of the story, she finds herself having to take care of a few matters close to home before preparing for her trek. What she thought would take months took years to fulfill with many hiccups along the way.
2) It’s never too late to live the life you want.
Now I know this sounds like the ultimate cliché but it’s true. This novel proves it! Georgia, a middle aged woman, finds herself ready to embark on a career change, find love and explore new destinations. Without telling the story, I”ll just say that by the end of the book she has a pretty high success rate at achieving these goals. Though her success was based on her strategy. Planning was everything for Georgia. Though many of her plans changed, fell through or yielded different results than anticipated, her planning provided a sense of direction and purpose along the way.
3) You have to confront the past to live a clear future.
I know, something many of us don’t want to hear. But it’s true. You can’t vacuum a carpet full of stains. Clean the stains up first, then vacuum. (My little metaphor for the big picture. 🙂 ) Georgia thought the past was in the past. Until a bit of shocking news woke her up to the fact that she had some unresolved issues to address. And as she worked through those issues she found that there were some things…and key people…she forgot about. Hence the book title. 😉
4) Know what you’re willing to sacrifice for your dreams.
Despite the fact that Georgia was an established woman that had the means and beyond to achieve her goals, there were still sacrifices that she had to make. For instance (without giving away too much) she considers a move to a new city at one point in the story. While it’s an exilerating thought initially, she begins to reflect on the children, grandchildren and beloved home she’d be leaving behind by moving forward.
5) Enjoy the present.
On the subject of beloved family and a home, Georgia reminded me that we must enjoy the present while chasing our dreams. It’s easy to get caught up in the splendor of personal, career and travel goals. But what about right now? The family we need to spend more time with, friends we should appreciate more or the job we need to be grateful for because it is funding what we need to prepare for the future.
Ready to go out and get the book now?! Please let me know what you think if you decide to give it a read!
