Tuesdays Are More Than Just Another Day of the Week

Up until this point, Tuesdays have felt like nothing more than an extension of Monday; you don’t get the satisfaction of knowing that Wednesday means you are halfway through the week, you don’t get the excitement that comes on Thursday from knowing that you’ve only got one day left of work, and you don’t get the thrill that comes on Friday that signals that the weekend has finally arrived. Tuesdays just seem to make the boring drudgery of the beginning of the work week last longer than it should. Well, needless to say, my entire outlook on the week changed after reading Mitch Albom's book, Tuesdays with Morrie.

Tuesdays with Morrie tells the story of how protagonist Mitch rekindled his relationship with his favorite professor, Morrie, after finding out that the latter was diagnosed with ALS. Every Tuesday, Mitch and Morrie would come together in his esteemed professor’s home study to dive deep into conversations about the true meaning of life, love, marriage, family—yes, even death—and so much more. This book combines both the past and the present as it shows how the relationship between Mitch and Morrie began. By reliving the good times that they had during Mitch's college days and talking about Morrie’s childhood, each of these gentlemen become incredibly relatable.

This book definitely doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to exposing the reader to the devastating way that ALS can destroy a body; watching the way that the disease slowly cripples and manipulates the body makes each of Mitch’s Tuesday sessions with Morrie more special. As the disease takes more and more away from Morrie, the relationship between these two friends grew stronger and stronger. It is these Tuesday sessions, and the brutally honest way that Morrie engages in whatever topic of discussion is on the table for that particular week, that fill this book with heart and soul. Morrie’s heartfelt affirmations throughout the book make it feel as if he is truly imparting his wisdom to you, the reader, and not just Mitch. Morrie acts as a sort of moral compass that shows Mitch how to align his life; as someone who has forgotten the basic teachings from Morrie’s sociology classes, Mitch has become too devoted to his work and success and has forgotten what it means to live an authentic life.

The thing that makes this book tug on the heartstrings is the fact that we all know a Morrie. Granted, your Morrie may not be an old professor diagnosed with ALS, but everyone has that person in their life who they admire, who they can look up to, depend on, cherish, and who can be relied on to offers sage advice for any troubling situation. But, for those of us who know what it is like to watch a loved one suffer, it is Morrie’s unwavering outlook on life, despite the cards he has been dealt, that tugs the hardest on the heartstrings. Morrie doesn’t let ALS consume his life and he remains grounded in his philosophies right up until his final moments.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a fast read, but you’ll find yourself thinking about it long after you’ve put it back on the shelf. I find myself thinking back to some of the advice that Morrie passed along to Mitch and realizing that I could benefit from my own Tuesday session with the great Morrie Schwartz. This book will make you laugh, make you think, and may even make you cry, but it’ll leave you with a smile. After reading this book, Tuesdays will feel like a lot more than just another day of the week.

4 out of 5 stars