Book Club Friday – Illusions

 

I’m linking up with Megan over at A day in the life today for the Friday Book Club. 

Today’s book is very special to me, I received a copy of Illusions by Richard Bach from my uncle on the day of my high school graduation.

On the inside of the front cover my uncle had inscribed the following words:

You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.

There was also a page number that I could turn to where the quote was underlined in my uncle’s neat head. I read the book in a day, and re-read it the next day. To this day I’ll pick it up and read through. The book is an inspiration and has become my personal bible.

Here is what Amazon has to say about the book:

In the cloud-washed airspace between the cornfields of Illinois and blue infinity, a man puts his faith in the propeller of his biplane. For disillusioned writer and itinerant barnstormer Richard Bach, belief is as real as a full tank of gas and sparks firing in the cylinders...until he meets Donald Shimoda--former mechanic and self-described messiah who can make wrenches fly and Richard's imagination soar....

In Illusions, the unforgettable follow-up to his phenomenal bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach takes to the air to discover the ageless truths that give our souls wings: that people don't need airplanes to soar...that even the darkest clouds have meaning once we lift ourselves above them... and that messiahs can be found in the unlikeliest places--like hay fields, one-traffic-light midwestern towns, and most of all, deep within ourselves.

Over this weekend I will be giving a copy of this book to two of my debaters who are now high school graduates. I hope that it will be as inspiring to them as it was to me and help them in the journey of discovering themselves and becoming full adults. I also do hope that they never lose the childish perspective of life, when everything and everyone is seen through the positive light.

Dreams and Ambitions

 

Upon my gradation from high school one of my uncles gave me a book, with a page reference on the title page. When I flipped to page 108, in blue ink were underlined the following lines:

“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.”

The book is called Illusions and the author is Richard Bach.

This book has become somewhat of a bible to me, a book that I re-read every once in a while to get a better understanding of my life, how I live it and so on. My copy has become a bit beaten up, from being lugged around almost everywhere with me for a good two years. It has underlining, highlighting, notes, comments and questions that I’ve written throughout the years. 

I picked up my ratty little book last night, after my brain got fried from all kinds of chemical equations and equilibriums. I’ve really been struggling with trying to find a balance in our current life that’s so dependent on my graduation and full of uncertainty. Much like everyone else, the Mister and I have ideas and goals of where we would like to be in the next 2 years, 5 years and 10 years, however I have a really hard time with accepting that I need to wait for things to happen.

Reading, Bach’s words, as well as the notes that I had made throughout the book really gave me a boost in my mood. We truly are never given a dream without also being given the ability to make those dreams come true.

So if your dream is an awesome bikini bod for this coming summer, then get your butt off the couch and to the gym. There are a million different workouts that will get the job done as long as you stick to them and use the tools provided to you.

Whatever your dreams, aspirations and goals, you can achieve them with a little bit of work and persistence.

I hope you all have a fantastic Saturday!

I’m going to study some more, and then we’re heading to the Mammoth game!