10. The One with the Book That WILL Change My Life

There are several things I pride myself on when it comes to this blog: that I even kept it going in the first place, how funny I am, the following it's created, how funny I am, you get the point. I also pride myself on my ability to keep things short and sweet, which I am attempting to do today. But, let's be honest, I have about 1200 things screaming in my brain right now that want to be a part of this post so go get the beverage of your choice out of the fridge, make a potty run, and grab a blanket, because you may be here awhile.

I have two people I need to thank for helping me find my book, which is "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. The first is my friend, Lou. Lou actually directed me in one of my favorite shows I've ever been a part of called "Stop Kiss" when I was a junior in college. I ran in to him around Christmas time at a holiday party and he asked if I'd ever read the book "Blue Like Jazz," which, coincidently, is also written by Donald Miller. He told me he thought I'd really enjoy it and that it might give me some perspective on my church hunting situation. I added it to my list of suggestions. Fast forward to the end of January. I was Skyping with Ria, who is the second person I need to thank, and we were talking about my super exciting dating life. She started to tell me about a friend of her sister's and her now-husband, about how they met, etc, and my book came up. Ria said, "It's really great; you should definitely read it," and then continued on with her story. That night, I decided I should give one of the Donald Miller books a shot, since he had now been recommended twice. The next week, I went to Barnes and Noble. They didn't have "Blue Like Jazz" in stock, but they did have one copy of "A Million Miles..." so I bought it and planned to start it that night. Now, the best laid plans of Steph almost always go awry, so I didn't start my book that night. Or the next night. Or the next night. I think it was a whole week before I actually sat down with it. And then I couldn't stop. I'd read several chapters each night before bed, always reading one more than I said I would. Something you should know: this book is NOT a page-turner like Harry Potter. But I couldn't get enough. It was at the end of part 1 of 5 that I knew this was going to be THE book. I was finishing up a chapter before work when three sentences literally jumped off the page, shouted obsenities at me, and punched me in the face. Really. I reread those three sentences about 12 times. Then, I got out a pen and put a star at either end of the sentences. That in itself was a huge deal, because I never write in my books. I barely even made notes in my textbooks in college. But I digress. I reread the sentences again and again until I realized it had been almost 15 minutes of staring and I was going to be late for work. But I literally could not get those sentences out of my head. I started bringing a pen with me wherever I sat down to read, marking each quote that made me stop. I loved that this book not only made me think, but laugh out loud several times, and, today, with only 40 pages to go, cry. So today I finished it. And while, my life hasn't changed yet...it's about to.

So, what was it about? Well...any synopsis I give is going to suck in comparison to reading the real thing, but eh, why not? So, "A Million Miles..." is nonfiction. It starts with Don, the author, being asked to adapt one of his books (later, you find out it's "Blue Like Jazz") into a screenplay for a movie. He accepts, but finds out right away that real life doesn't always translate into a "good story." The majority of the book is about him learning how to actually live a good story. Ok, see, I made it sound boring, but I promise it's not!

How is it going to change my life? Well, that's where it gets interesting. I think I lead a pretty nice life. I have an amazing family, the best friends anyone could have, a job I love, a great house, and I'm genuinely happy. But, despite all that, I've been feeling like I'm stuck in a rut and didn't know what it was...until I read this book. My story is good...but it's not great. I'm too comfortable. Ria and I were talking about my list tonight and I told her how much I've loved it and how much it's helped me grow as a person, but that it was also...

"Doable" she said, "Everything on the list was within your reach."

"Right," I agreed, "Everything I did was within my comfort zone." And, while I feel so much gratitude to Ria for coming up with this amazing idea and pushing me to try new things, and so much pride in myself for what I've accomplished, I never did leave my comfort zone. I don't want to say everything I've been doing is easy...but it kinda is. That's how my life has gone this year...very much in my comfort zone. It's fine; like I said, I lead a nice life. But it's not a great story and it's not helping anyone else live a great story either.

Remember when I said my sister, Mal, and I made some wine-induced New Year's resolutions? Well, Mal's first one was about wanting to "participate in life more" instead of just watching it go by. We talked about it last night and she said, "I just want to live every day like it's the best day ever." I want to do that too. I want to live each day as a great story and I want other people to be a part of my great stories and to have great stories of their own. I've spent a lot of time this year being a hermit when I should have filled it with experiences. While I don't regret anything from this past year, this book has really inspired me to live "better." And I plan to do just that...and live each day like it's the best day ever.