Every day // David Levithan

The title of this book intrigued me - being so obsessed mindful lately of how I spend each day, often subconsciously evaluating the day on certain categories like productivity, awesomeness, number-of-times-I-was-kind-versus-number-of-times-I-wasn't, and so on. The premise is also fascinating and new to me. I have not stumbled upon a similar literary piece. I can't recall any. So, I decided this was my Christmas gift for myself.

I started reading the first few pages in the airport, such a life-saver on that particular day filled with flight delays and disappointments (a story I'll save for another day). So, amidst sleepiness and exhaustion, I decided to immerse myself in this mysterious plot.

The narrative started out slow. It's like listening to someone talk about how her day is, how seemingly routinary everything is, except that the routines never happen in the same life, in the same person, twice. I quickly got hooked, and even more curious, the moment the protagonist, A, starts actively involving other people into his bubble of a life.

Without delving into details (and spoilers) let me share with you how this book made me feel, made me realize, while flipping from one page to the next. As Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The same is true with books and the stories they keep.

Love ... how powerful and enduring.

Discounting physical appearance, stripping gender from it, not taking into account a person's social status -- love, when laid bare, is one and the same. It is the almost insatiable desire to be with someone every single day (like that eager feeling to come home, because it's comforting there and familiar), the willingness to sacrifice every bit of comfort and joy for someone else's happiness, the longing for acceptance and reciprocation of feelings, and the same aching feeling that manages to let go and set someone free. Love presents itself in countless shapes and forms, but, in the end, as human beings, it is always in our nature to seek love no matter how many times we get burned by it.

Life ... how lucky if we don't just survive, but truly live.

I can't imagine living a life that feels like I don't really exist. I cannot imagine a world where there would be no traces of me having once roamed it. I don't want to imagine having being totally forgotten, especially by the people the matter most to me.

A day ... how fruitful if you make it count every single time.

I wish to see my every day as more than just a series of routines. Personally, I'm trying to build good habits, especially in the morning - I savor my free time doing things that enrich me. Although, a certain amount of spontaneity won't hurt as well. I'd like to try to proactively do something each day that would matter even years from now.

Overall, this book made me more appreciative of my seemingly ordinary life. To some degree, there is certainty and stability. I am given a chance at love, and a thousand more opportunities to make it work.

I finished reading the book without realizing I was at the last page. I certainly didn't predict that was how A's story's going to end. But, neither could I say that it was all there is to his story. In the same way that we'll never know how our own story's gonna turn out. I'd say, just trust and enjoy the process. Love and live!