Chasing Daylight – A Book Worth the Read

In our last Senge circle meeting we discussed the book Chasing Daylight by Eugene O’Kelly.  I was not sure about posting something on the blog as it is a complete departure from the main purpose of the blog – but I decided it wasn’t true.  The blog is also about some other things.

A couple of observations from me, the group and my lovely wife.

  • A difficult read as you realize what Eugene must have been tinking and going through at the beginning.
  • In the book he talks about his circle of people and how he tries
    to have a final ‘perfect moment’ with them.  In his outer most ring he
    has people who are important, but not as important as the inner circles
    and found he spent too much time on the outer areas.  I found this an
    interesting observation in general as that is often the way we are in
    our lives. 
    • I often joke with Jen (my wife) about not wanting to spend
      time with my neighbours as I don’t even have enough time to spend with
      my closest friends – don’t get me wrong, my neighbours are awesome people.
    • He also forgets about whether this process was the right thing for these people – honestly.  When he passes they will be left in our world to work with the tools at hand to try and deal with his passing.  I think his approach may have actually made it harder.
  • My wife and some others who had or are dealing with Cancer in their lives found the book very difficult and in some cases they either stopped reading it or found it too much about Eugene’s corporate world and thinking.  I think this is a genuine response to someone sharing something in a way I can not even begin to imagine.
  • His spiritual quest for the ‘Perfect Moment’ was a very enlightening objective and it changes the way I look back on some past experiences (this to me was the greatest gift from the book):
    • when my son was born
    • some moments with my father
    • special memories on some trips with my wife
    • even some work moments
  • We inevitably asked the question as a group about what would you do if you had 100 days left.  The conversation around the table was amazing.  I was so surprised (though I should not have been) at how open and genuine the answers were.

Maybe the greatest gift of the book was the conversations it started within the Senge meeting and a couple I have been a part of afterwards.  The book is a quick read, though it can be difficult at times.  Pick it up as I think it is worth while – we all need to remember we are part of the world around us and not just our jobs.

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