“Meditations from a Movable Chair” is my favorite book and the first book I would take with me to the infamous desert isle of icebreaking games. It is a book of essays by Andre Dubus.

Some of his short stories have been made into movies. Namely: “In the Bedroom” (Story is called “The Killings”), and “We don’t live here anymore” (book is good, but the 2 companion novellas make it fantastic).  Quick Note: his works are very sexual; I recommend them, I just recommend them with that caveat.

Dubus writes everyday life as a sacrament.  He treats the mundane as though it were Holy.  He did this before his accident and after

There are sub-themes in hiswork: running, sex, masculinity, marriage, raising children, coming-of-age, etc. But, I think the two things I ‘learned’ from Andre Dubus were to enjoy literature again; just in and of itself to enjoy reading.

Dubus is the first author I read after having Cancer in 2009. He is who I pick up if my only goal is relaxation.

A sacrament is simply a grace or gift in this context. Running, having a beer, a smoke, a conversation, sex, a good book, music – these are good gifts.  Peter Devries says it this way, “The greatest gift known to man is the recovery of the commonplace: coffee in the morning and whiskey in the evening without fear.”

Andre recovered my love of reading, and reminds me that there are good gifts everywhere.