I Am The Lion Now is a short story by Edan Lepucki. It revolves around a pregnant woman that lives in LA with her husband. The couple lead an ordinary life until a possum shows up at their door.
No, I am not talking about the famous incident at the Bronx zoo where a woman jumped into a lion’s enclosure and seemed to taunt him.
I am going to talk about Edan Lepucki’s short story – ‘I am the lion now’.
I Am The Lion Now: Summary and Plot Analysis
The story revolves around a pregnant woman named Margaret who lives in an apartment in LA with her husband Toby.
They seem like a pretty average LA couple differing in one aspect of sexual activity. Margaret maintains a journal of the dates of their ‘deeds’ thinking to herself that someday a biographer would consider it as a piece of information worth recording while her husband bakes a second cake for her after burning the first one, to satiate her pregnancy craving.
While Margaret is left to her own thoughts whiling away time in her bath tub, her husband finds a possum (which he mistakes for a rat initially) and in the ensuing chaos, a book burns in the bathroom while a possum runs all across the kitchen with an almost chubby man on its tail.
Toby comes to like the little possum and even convinces his ‘cold’ wife to provide food and shelter at least for a night. The baby possum is later located by its family but having seen it touched/tampered by the humans, is left alone.
A few weeks after the episode, Toby sees the possum, who is a teenager now, only to have it hiss at him.
He is the lion now.
I Am The Lion Now Review
The story is pretty ordinary story until you take into the account how it has been said. This story is written by Lepucki in a very interesting omniscient third person point of view. The style that has been seen on and off in English literature for a long time.
She has presented the point of view of the animate and inanimate objects alike. It is like a breath of fresh air. Consider the following quotes from the story –
“The Possum glares and hisses, ‘I am the lion now’”
There is a reference in the story where Margaret recalls a novel that she recently read about a bunch of zealots in an Afghani zoo where one of them cut a bear’s nose because its beard was too short, while another jumped into a lion’s enclosure and announces himself as a lion, and eventually gets killed. I love how she gave voice to the possum.
“But I am worth it’ – whispered the book”
While Margaret lies in the bath tub thinking the book that she is reading is too challenging, and longs to look at a tabloid containing pictures of pregnant celebrities. The book then reads her mind and thinks itself to be worth Margaret’s time.
A place where books can actually speak with me, for real, oh! that’s what I call dreamland!
This one cracked me up –
“They were married, and passion was not greater than cake”
This references to Toby’s second attempt at making cake for his wife and deliberately not putting the timer on. Simply because he knew that when in the act, they would consider stopping it a more likely scenario than ruining the cake. Laugh-worthy reality of our times, folks!
“Let the squeamish suffer their fear, let them live without really living. Margaret was safe in her risk taking.”
This references to Margaret’s bath tub: grimy and rusty near the drain, but that doesn’t scare her, because she does not wash her fruit either and kisses dogs on the mouth. This in Margaret’s mind, is risk taking personified. The life of a modern outlier, eh?
“All crises, once averted, become jokes”
After dousing the fire and seeing the remnants of her charred book, Margaret quips ‘Oops, I guess I won’t be reading this’. I couldn’t help but stroll down my own memory lane and smiled.
Bartleby The Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street is a short story or novella written by American author Herman Melville. It was first published in two parts in the November and December 1853 issues of a magazine. It tells the story of Bartleby – a scrivener (a clerk or scribe) who works for a Manhattan lawyer and grows increasingly enigmatic as the story progresses.
“Happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay, but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.”
Seeing what we want to see and feel commands so much power on us humans that we are even more blinded to what we don’t want to see or feel widening the gap between happiness and misery disproportionately.
This is an excerpt from ‘Bartleby the scrivener’ the first short story by the American writer Herman Melville, first published in Putnam magazine, way back in 1853.
Bartleby the Scrivener: Summary and Plot Analysis
The story revolves around an unnamed Manhattan lawyer and his mysterious new hire, Bartleby. As their relationship revolves, the personality of Bartleby still remains an enigma to the narrator and the readers alike.
The narrator of the story is an unnamed, unambitious elderly man that has a snug law-copying business He has two scriveners in his employ already: Turkey and Nippers, both of whom are eccentric – while the former is more civil in the first half of the day, while the latter in second. Another employee, Ginger Nut, who is a young office boy completes the staff.
As the business grows, the narrator advertises for the position of another scrivener- Bartleby: more forlorn and calmer than his other staff. In the initial period of his employment, Bartleby seems very meticulous producing high-quality work in high volumes, never taking lunch breaks and continues to remain reticent and oblivious to the banter or the tantrums of his other colleagues.
The cover of Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
One fine day, upon being asked by the narrator to proofread, Bartleby responds with ‘I would prefer not to’, and after that, it becomes his response to pretty much everything that is asked of him. This irks the narrator as well as the other employees, but Bartleby’s stance remains steadfast in that matter.
The volume of his work declines at a steady pace until one point where he does absolutely nothing but stares at a brick wall out of his office window all day long. Having had to come to work one Sunday, the narrator notices that Bartleby had started living in the office premises.
The mystery surrounding his constant presence in the office premises and his continual staring at the brick wall deepens and the narrator, thinking that if word spread it could bring bad reputation for his business. In order to devise a plan to mitigate this risk, he makes several futile attempts at trying to know more about him or reason with him to leave the premises.
Neither money nor the prospect of working someplace new appeals to Bartleby and he continues to live in the office. The narrator was compassionate enough not to have him forcibly removed from the premises.
Left with no choice, the narrator moves office to another location without letting Bartleby know the whereabouts.
Although thinking the narrator rid himself of Bartleby, the mystery surrounding his permanent presence at the premises is not solved, until one day, the new tenants come to mention to him the inconvenience that Bartleby’s presence was causing them – he continued to sit on the stairs all day and slept in the doorway at night.
Herman Melville – the author of Bartleby the Scrivener
The narrator is again brought in to reason with Bartleby, going to the extent of inviting him over to his own residence to live with him, but his request fall on deaf ears. The narrator eventually comes to know that he was forcibly removed from the premises and imprisoned nearby in the Tombs.
He goes to visit Bartleby in prison, to find him even quieter than usual. He bribes the turnkey to make sure that Bartleby gets enough food. He comes back later another day to check on him only to find out that he died of starvation.
He comes to know afterwards through rumors, that Bartleby used to work in a “dead-letter” office (a dead letter office is a facility within a postal system where undeliverable mail is processed).
The narrator attributes that to be the reason why a man of his temperament, having worked in an even darker environment, might have sunk deeper into depression.
The story closes with narrator’s exasperated sigh “Ah Bartleby! Ah humanity!”
Bartleby the Scrivener Analysis
To think that all this novella received was critical disdain at the time of its release confuses me and pains me at the same time. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Bartleby’s and author’s life – if Bartleby’s dispassionate No to the kind of work that he didn’t want to do was any indication of the kind of work that was demanded of Melville- but maybe that’s taking my imagination too far.
Regardless, this short story raises many poignant themes- As relevant as they are now, almost two centuries from when Melville first brought the story to life.
Bartleby The Scrivener Quotes
I might give alms to his body, but his body didn’t pain him –it was his soul that suffered, and his soul I couldn’t reach.
The narrator feels- and rightly so- that Bartleby doesn’t respond to any requests or temptations because his soul is broken. His complete denial to accept any assistance or to find solace in sharing leaves him completely isolated-leaving little chance for people around him to be able to help him, feeling guilty and helpless themselves in return.
“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.”
How many times have I seen a person being driven completely crazy , and I mean grinding-teeth crazy -by someone that only resists passively, no debating, no reasoning, no active participation in the argument, but sitting back peacefully and saying No to everything that is asked.
If I was the narrator I would have gone crazy far before Bartleby dies of starvation.
“I would prefer not to”
Maybe that was the only thing that Bartleby felt he did, that made him empowered. Having the ability to say Yes or No to things that he did or didn’t want to do. Bartleby is an enigma. Offices should be kinder to their Bartlebys. I am going to be kinder to myself.
Thank you, Mr Melville, for giving me that voice.
I can now say ‘I would prefer not to’ aloud.
“Happiness courts the light, so we deem the world is gay, but misery hides aloof, so we deem that misery there is none.”
Seeing what we want to see and feel commands so much power on us humans that we are even more blinded to what we don’t want to see or feel widening the gap between happiness and misery disproportionately.
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The Most Dangerous Game is a short story written by Richard Connell. Also known as “The Hounds of Zaroff”, this story was originally published in 1924. It revolves around an American man passionate about game hunting who realizes, after a series of events, what it means to be a hunter or a huntee – and the ethicality surrounding it.
“The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters”
This is a statement from Sanger Rainsford, the protagonist of Richard Connell’s remarkable short story The Most Dangerous Game. This one statement is intensely significant as it underlines the carelessness we experience as hunters; but once the tables turn, it’s a different story.
The Most Dangerous Game: Summary and Plot Analysis
This story derives inspiration from the big game hunting that was very popular among affluent Americans back in the 1920s.
Rainsford, a big time game hunter from New York is travelling to Rio de Janeiro in a yacht. In a conversation with a fellow passenger Whitney, Rainsford reveals that he believes that the world is only made up of hunter and huntees and prides himself in being a hunter.
While Whitney does show a little remorse about games they kill and wonders if the prey feels fear, Rainsford stands by his indifference to his prey and is prideful about being a hunter and not a huntee.
Noticing the jitteriness of the crew, Whitney wants to sail past the mysterious island as soon as possible. He theorizes that sailors can sense danger and that is because evil “emanates in waves like light and sound”. While Whitney retires for the night, Rainsford stays back on the afterdeck to smoke his pipe.
Three gunshots in the distance make him curious, and after losing balance ends up falling into water. The yacht quickly disappears into the night leaving him stranded in the middle of nowhere.
He decides to swim in the direction where the gunshots came from and finds himself hearing an animal in agony silenced by a pistol shot. Thoroughly exhausted, he falls asleep.
Once awake, he sets off searching for food in the jungle and chances upon a chateau (a large house). He knocks on the door and finds himself face to face with a burly guy named Ivan who is just about to show him the way when another man General Zaroff ushers him in.
Rainsford finds Zaroff very welcoming, having been offered a room and lavish dinner. The general’s dining hall showcases mounted heads and trophies flaunting his prize from his hunting adventures all over the world.
In the conversation that ensues, Rainsford comes to know of general’s childhood in Crimea, his game exploits all over the world and how he feels that game hunting had become progressively more boring for him over the years.
He also goes on to point out that this monotony had recently been alleviated for him since he figured out a new kind of animal to hunt- the one he believes has courage , logic and reasoning.
Rainsford eventually connects the dots and realizes that the general is referring to human beings and is horrified and indignant at Zaroff’s inability to see hunting humans as a murder. He politely declines General’s request to come hunting with him and goes to bed, terribly disturbed.
He meets Zaroff at lunch again and comes to know that the sailors that he lures to the island for hunting do not present enough challenge for him to exercise his hunting skills. He is now excited by the idea of hunting a world renowned game hunter – Rainsford himself!
Baffled and scared by General’s request, Rainsford asks to leave the island, a request that General immediately denies, instead approving his leave in return for a 3 day hunt, with Rainsford being the prey.
On Day 1, General identifies Rainsford’s location easily but chooses not to kill him to prolong the duration of pleasure he derives from the hunt. This leaves Rainsford terribly scared with very little hope to be able to escape the island.
On Day 2 , Rainsford puts up more of a challenge to Zaroff using the Malay mancatcher (a kind of booby trap to catch a human), doing so much as wounding Zaroff, who promises to kill him him the next day.
What happens at the end of the story of The Most Dangerous Game?
On Day 3 – the final day of the hunt – through a series of events, Ivan (General Zaroff’s assistant) is killed and hounds are let loose that push Rainsford to the edge of the cliff. He chooses to jump into the ocean than handle the hounds.
Upon return to his room later that night, Zaroff finds Rainsford concealed behind the curtains. Zaroff congratulates him on winning the game, but he insists that the game is not over yet and that he intends to fight Zaroff. Zaroff accepts his challenge and declares that the loser of the fight will become food to the dogs while the winner will sleep in Zaroff’s bed.
The story concludes with Rainsford saying that the General’s bed was more comfortable than anything that he had ever slept on (which suggests that Rainsford killed General Zaroff).
The Most Dangerous Game Characters
Sanger Rainsford: The protagonist. A world-renowned big game hunter from America. He’s a level-headed, intelligent and experienced man who combines his mental and physical ability to outsmart General Zaroff.
General Zaroff: A Russian expatriate who lives in a big house on an island. He is an accompolished hunter who has lost all interest in hunting animals because it has gotten ‘boring’ over the years. Now he enjoys hunting prey that are smart and have a formidable mental abilities – humans.
Ivan: General Zaroff’s assistant. He is mute and has a formidable physical stature. His stature is so fear-inducing that Zaroff’s captives prefer to flee and give Zaroff a chance to hunt them down than a certain, torturous death at Ivan’s hands.
Whitney: Hunter and Rainsford’s travel companion. Feels a little remorse about killing prey and suggests that the hunted feel fear while Rainsford is completely indifferent to how the prey feels.
The Most Dangerous Game Theme
The main theme of The Most Dangerous Game is fear, competition and perseverance. The author has a done a remarkable job at blurring the line between the hunter and the hunted. He has shown – through the protagonist’s journey through the story – that the one thing the prey always feels, irrespective of who it is, is fear.
In the beginning of the story, Rainsford is shown to be oblivious to the fear of the prey he hunts. In fact, he prides being such an accomplished hunter. But as the tables turn and Rainsford ends up becoming a prey himself, he realizes the nerve-wracking fear of a prey which gives him perspective and a real taste of what’s it like to be the hunted (instead of the hunter).
The story also indulges in the idea of competition. Both General Zaroff and Rainsford are skilled hunters, which is demonstrated at regular intervals in the story. On the first day of the ‘hunting game’, the General effortlessly locates Rainsford but chooses to ‘spare’ him. The subsequent days, Rainsford fights back and ultimately trumps the General.
Furthermore, The Most Dangerous Game is a story of perseverance and survival. The protagonist never gives up despite the challenges that he’s faced with one after the other.
Is The Most Dangerous Game a true story?
The Most Dangerous Game was published back in 1924, around 100 years ago. Till that point, there was no true story or reported case on which the story could have been based.
But decades after its publication, there was a particularly notorious case in Alaska which involved multiple victims hunted by the perpetrator – Robert Hanson.
Known in the media as the ‘Butcher Baker’, Hanson was an American serial killer who was caught and convicted in 1983. He was then sentenced to 461 years and a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He died in 2014. (Source)
The Most Dangerous Game Movie
8 years after the publication of the story, a movie of the same name was released in 1932. The film is based on the same premise of a big game hunter who lives on an island and hunts human prey for sport. The film stars the lead stars of King Kong – Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong, alongwith Joel McCrea and Leslie Banks.
The poster of the movie The Most Dangerous Game
Another movie, The Frozen Ground (2013), is loosely based on the story of The Most Dangerous Game. The film stars Nicolas Cage and John Cusack in lead roles. It tells the story of an American serial killer who abducts and kills female victims to satisfy his sadistic ‘thrill’ of hunting.
The Most Dangerous Game Review
This power packed story line from Richard Connell never ceases to amaze me. It will not be an overstatement for me to say that this book rekindled my faith in short stories.
Not to forget, the ethical dilemma and the amazing quotes the book presents. If I had to pick quotes from the book that stood out the most for me, those would be.
“The world is made up of two classes – the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters”
And Further in the same conversation…
“Don’t talk rot, Whitney, you’re a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?”
Connell has so brilliantly given an altogether differing spin on the perspective that was used when this line was first said in the story.
The journey from Rainsford being an acclaimed hunter, absolutely indifferent to his prey’s feelings, to him being the hunted – shocked and terrified – is an amazing journey to follow and learn from.
What I really like about this message is its poignance and relevance to our everyday conversations where our own viewpoint is all that we care about.
In my random readings, I have come across this phrase very often: “the world does not revolve around you.”
A Man Called Ove is a fiction novel that was originally published in 2012. It is written by Fredrik Backman – a Swedish writer and blogger. The novel revolves around a 59-year old man whose name is Ove. It tells the story of love, friendship, compassion, grief and the importance of friends and community in coping with loss.
“He had never understood the need to go round stewing on why things turned out the way they did. You are what you are and you do what you do, and that was good enough for Ove. He didn’t quite know what he should say to avoid seeming uneducated and stupid, but it proved to be less of a problem than he had thought. She liked talking and Ove liked keeping quiet.”
That’s Ove, I say this name like I know the person, I have talked to this person, I have met this person in passing, I have seen this person in a mall. I may even have been this person at times-all that to say, this person is everywhere!
Say Hi to your grumpy neighbour! I am talking about A Man Called Ove (Swedish: En man som heter Ove): it is a 2012 novel by Fredrik Backman, a Swedish author, columnist, and blogger. It was published in English in 2013.
The English version reached the New York Times Best Seller list 18 months after it
was published and stayed on the list for 42 weeks. It has also been adapted into a movie, starring none other than Tom Hanks! How about that?
A Man Called Ove: Summary and Plot Analysis
A Man Called Ove is a story of love, friendship, compassion, grief and an ultimate ode to the importance of friends and community in coping with loss.
Meet Ove (pronounced oo-vaa) – a curmudgeon, i.e. a bad tempered person, especially an old one, the kind of person who will call a idiot an idiot on his face, ‘who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window’.
He is a creature of habit with unrelenting principles, routines and temper ready to go off at the drop of a hat. A man with zero political correctness and zero tolerance. People in his community call him – ‘the bitter neighbor from hell’.
It is very easy to mistake him for that, until you start looking closer.
The cover of “A man called Ove”
What you will find on closer inspection will certainly surprise you, if not completely throw you off.
You look at this human portrait a bit closely and you start noticing that there is a sadness in his life manifesting in a variety of forms – a difficult childhood, absence of a motherly figure growing up, being orphaned at a very young age, losing of a baby, having wife suffering from a life altering accident, losing friendship of a close friend, losing his wife and a series of failed attempts at taking his own life.
You begin to realize that it’s a miracle for this man to be alive, let alone having the amount of sanity he does. Always quick to judge, aren’t we?
He is convinced that he is going to end his life, it is simply a matter of when until one day, where a chatty young couple – his new neighbors – accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox.
From that moment on, things begin to change.
What’s unravelled is a comic yet heartwarming tale of defiant cats, unexpected friendships, unwanted roommates, playful little girls with lots of crayons, rescued
friendships and finding, exposing the Ove that his wife had fallen for.
You don’t only start to understand why Ove is who is, but also love and start cheering for him.
Want to read A Man Called Ove?
A Man Called Ove is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy of the book:
I picked up this book as my typical romance dose of the month having read rave reviews about it, but came to like it for reasons far beyond than that, to the extent that I might even sound like a raving barking lunatic going on and on and on about it.
1 – Funny One Liners
I literally rolled on the floor laughing when I read these – “that time Rune drove a Volvo, but later he bought a BMW. You just couldn’t reason with a person who behaved like that.”
Here’s another one:
“Ove feels an instinctive skepticism towards all people taller than six feet; the blood can’t quite make it all the way up to the brain.”
I like this quote for two reasons; first- it makes me one of the smarter people as per Ove’s definition and second, I get the required ammunition to get back at all my tall friends for years of teasing me over my ‘minuscule’ stature.
2 – Timeless wisdom
I – “Ove, only a swine thinks size and strength are the same thing. Remember that.” And Ove never forgot it.”
This piece of wisdom imparted to Ove from his father reiterates something that I have always known but seem to forget as the years passed me by. I am sure this would have come in handy as a reinforced principle of thought growing up amongst a bunch of bigger bullies.
II – “And if you don’t know the story, you don’t know the man.”
Simple, yes, but hits the right spot. It is very easy to judge a person for what they are or have done to us today completely ignoring the story behind it. I have been guilty of doing that way too many times in my life than I would like to count. This reinforces my belief that a little patience and empathy goes a long way in having better conversations and relationships, no matter what kind they are.
III – “Has never liked the feeling of losing control. He’s come to realize over the years that it’s this very feeling that normal folk like and strive for, but as far as Ove is concerned only a complete bloody airhead could find loss of control a state worth aiming for. He wonders if he’ll feel nauseated, if he’ll feel pain”
Pardon my use of strong words but I am in complete agreement with Ove’s viewpoint here. Or maybe I am saying that simply because I am a ‘chicken’? I like to be in control and the idea of losing it completely freaks me out. Maybe time will change that. Who knows?
But for now, Ove wins!
3 – Sarcasm
“His heart is too big.”
If you thought that Ove was always on the giving end of sarcasm, you are wrong. He was on the receiving end as well and when that happened, it was twice as hilarious. When Ove was hospitalized for a medical emergency and doctor tells Pravaneh that it’s the size of his heart that is the problem, she almost rolls on the floor laughing.
“Ove points at him with exasperation. “You! You want to buy a French car. Don’t worry so much about others, you have enough problems of your own.”
I am not sure if this is Ove or Fredrick Backman himself , but this cracks me up every single time. Ove’s biting sarcasm on everything auto is ‘laugh-out-loud-like-a-creep’ funny.
4 – Of Love and Loss
“It’s a strange thing, becoming an orphan at sixteen. To lose your family long before you’ve had time to create your own to replace it. It’s a very specific sort of loneliness.”
“Then Mum died. And Dad grew even quieter. As if she took away with her the few words he’d possessed.”
“One finds a way of living for the sake of someone else’s future. And it wasn’t as if Ove also died when Sonja left him. He just stopped living.”
I loved the book for its sarcasm, laughter, fun and friendships, but I hated it too. Although, the reason for it is more personal than literary, this book made me cry. I was quick to judge Ove for the harsh person he was in the initial pages of the book, but as more and more was revealed about his past making him what he was, it teared me up.
As if losing his mother at such a young age was not bad enough, losing his father and all family before he was barely an adult is such a sad state for a child, or anyone for that matter to be in. I was happy when he found the love of his life, but then having lost a child and then losing her to a sickness again was so saddening.
That was just part of the reason why. I was also saddened by how quick I was to judge.
All in all, this book led to be a major eye-cleanup exercise for me.
In all these years, I have realized that a book is much more powerful when you feel all the emotions the writer intended for you to feel.
“Love is a strange thing. It takes you by surprise.”
And so does this awesome novel by Fredrick Backman.
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O is a short story (conveyed through poems and drawings) written by Shel Silverstein. It was first published in 1976. The story revolves around a “Little Piece” who is looking for its perfect match that would ‘complete’ it.
“I was hoping that perhaps I could roll with you…”
“You cannot roll with me,” said the Big O, “but perhaps you can roll by yourself.”
This exchange between the Little Piece and the Big O captures the essence of a heartwarming tale of self-love and discovery in ‘Little Piece meets the Big O’ by Shel Silverstein.
He nudges us lightly to the unexplored lane of self-love. His genius lies in the simplicity with which he has relayed his heartwarming tale. Behind his simple words lies the profound truth that there is no such thing as a perfect match.
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O: Summary, Meaning and Plot Analysis
The book is centered around Little Piece – who is looking for its perfect match that would complete it.
Cover of The Missing Piece Meets The Big O
it saw all kinds of pieces coming up to it; some fit but couldn’t roll and some that could roll, but didn’t fit. It learned to avoid the hungry and fragile ones, found and let go of the over-analyzing ones and even tried to make itself attractive for the ones it liked.
None of that worked until it found one that fit, atleast at the start. All was well until the missing piece began to grow. Both of them were not expecting or ready for that to happen.
This was heartbreaking for the missing piece and eventually they both part ways, making the missing piece alone again. The Missing piece again finds someone that it thinks might be a perfect fit. It has now found the Big O.
It proposes to roll with it only to be told in response that it could try rolling by itself. It finds the idea strange, the idea of a pointed missing piece to be able to roll by itself, nevertheless, she tries to explore that idea and Lift-Pull-Flop… Lift-Pull-Flop…. it was able to roll by itself!
Why I love The Missing Piece Meets the Big O?
This tale is an amazing testimony to the simplicity with which Silverstein has driven the profound message home in so few words, the way he has named these characters: the Missing Piece, the Big O… it’s genius!
The number of myths that this tale has busted, the quintessential silver lining and not to forget the happy ending!
Want to read The Missing Piece Meets the Big O?
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy:
4 Life Lessons from The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
There is no perfect match
While the missing piece feels alone waiting for something that will come along and complete itself, it inherently assumes that it is not complete by itself. It thinks that something more is needed for it to feel good about itself and it fails to look at the world without that assumption embedded in it.
How many times have we turned into a ball of wax when we see Tom Cruise confessing to Renee Zelleweger in Jerry Macguire – ‘You Complete me’?
Don’t stop trying
Other pieces took advantage, ran over her, some were too fragile to have plopped right in front of her; some it scared away with its flashy behavior, but never once did our little missing piece quit.
A page from The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
It kept the faith alive and even resorted to tricks to make her dream more achievable, like making itself attractive, it tried to solicit interest, it even asked people explicitly if they would take it along.
Be open to experimentation
Believe that what you end up getting might be different from what you envisioned, but in no way does it mean that what you end up with, is any less than what you had in mind before.
Every relationship, bitter or sweet, has a place in our lives
The Little Piece learnt from being ignored that it needed to do something to attract attention, when attracting too much attention, it realized that it was scaring the shy ones away.
When trying to appear attractive, it realized that it was taken advantage of and while Big O didn’t take it along with her, it learned the very important lesson of self-discovery and contentment.
Every experience, bitter or sweet makes us better.And what does not kill us makes us stronger.
We might start off in a relationship believing firmly in our hearts that this is the best and that nothing could go wrong with it. This may not be the case, as many of us discover in the course of our lives.
People grow out of their relationships… that’s the truth. While this realization is painful, it nevertheless makes us prepared to take our lives forward. Preparedness facilitates coping.
Albert Einstein once famously remarked “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”
He might very well be referring to Shel Silverstein.
