You don’t need to know the future to be hopeful. Mostly though, this is a book about hope and possibility – two of my favourite words. Helen KellerĪnd has quite a bit to say about randomness and embracing it. When one door of happiness closes, another opens but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. It’s the warm breeze you feel when you open the door to who you are. Happiness is an accident of self-acceptance. Happiness occurs when you forget who you’re expected to be. We talk of climbing the ladder…The trouble with ladders is they give you no room to move around. We talk about ladders without even thinking. We are often encouraged to see life as one continual uphill climb. Haig talks about ambition and perspective: No physical appearance is worth not eating pasta for. The best of life exists beyond the things we’re encouraged to crave. Pizza tastes good regardless of your job title. Dogs aren’t better company if you’re famous. Music doesn’t sound more interesting if you have a six pack. The sky isn’t more beautiful if you have perfect skin.

It is sometimes better just to eat the toast. There are the occasional story or playlist of music or books, a quote here and there, maybe a thought or observation.Ĭontinually looking for the meaning of life is like looking for the meaning of toast.

More of a collection of snippets that helped him through his darkest days – and whenever the clouds have gathered since, the chapters (and I use the term loosely) are sometimes a line, maybe two. Which is why I adored Matt Haig’s The Comfort Book. I like my wisdom in bite-sized and a little irreverent and given in a random take it or leave it this worked for me but it mightn’t work for you format. I get the concept but just can’t get caught up in it. I’ve read the Brene Brown titles that (almost) everyone seems to rave about, but, well, yeah and nah. I tend to find them too preachy even though I know they’re supposed to be good for me.

The comfort book review