Saturday, November 18, 2006

Veronika decides to die




Saturday Cuppa: Valerian Tea…actually, it’s meant for bed time but I slept so soundly last night after my cuppa, that I’m tempted to have one this morning and curl up under the duvet for a while on this damp and drizzly English Saturday morning.


My mother, God love ‘er, sent me my birthday present a month or so early. She was reluctant because of the book’s title, but I’m so glad she did.

Veronika decides to die is a gripping novel which explores what sanity and madness really mean.

Veronika isn’t depressed, however she questions life and the repetitiveness of our individual journeys...the sameness, the apparent senselessness of it all. So, she decides to die by overdosing on sleeping tablets…she then wakes up in the town’s mental hospital. Her overdose has caused irreparable damage to her heart and she’ll die within the week. But what a week!

The book explores a few of the characters in that hospital and what led them there. Her arrival has the patients questioning their own journeys and they discover they do want to live full lives.

It’s a brilliant book, with a wonderful twist and, importantly for me, a happy ending! I soooooo need happy endings!

What Veronika discovered was that almost all of us live our lives as others expect, trapped in a permanent prison. How often do we do what we want; what makes our heart sing; our soul soar?

At what point in our lives do we truly take responsibility for our own path in life and say ‘Enough! This is MY journey’? When do we stop performing for parents, siblings, teachers, friends, neighbours, society and say ‘this is my dance’?

I do believe we each have a specific destiny and purpose and yes, life can seem mundane, repetitive and at times joyless, frustrating or an utter pain in the arse; tragic, painful, soul destroying ~ but we all have a choice in how we visit each moment and what gifts we will take with us when we pass through the valleys and hills. Every experience has a gift.

Two men looked out from prison bars
One saw mud
One saw stars


If the people around you insist on always looking at the mud it doesn’t mean you have to look there as well. You could make it your mission to say “hey, look up there. Can you see the wishing star? It’s yours!!! It’s waiting for you.”

With love and blessings, and an abundance of wishing stars ~ Veronika ~

4 comments:

jood said...

If the people around you insist on always looking at the mud it doesn’t mean you have to look there as well. You could make it your mission to say “hey, look up there. Can you see the wishing star? It’s yours!!! It’s waiting for you.”


BRILLIANT JUST BEAUTIFUL...IS ASKING TO BE PUT ON THE FRIDGE!
LOVE JOOD

Unknown said...

Perhaps some people never take responsiblity? How sad to never live.

Thanks for your journal Veronika, I enjoy reading it when I can. It helps me breathe, take perspective and start over if necessary.

Keith Austin said...

from Angela the other half of keith, don't ever look at negative things
that happen as being defeated, sister you are so far ahead of the normal run of the mill people out there, many lifetimes ahead and what you need to see is you have it all already the rest is just circumstances.
use the chance to show your girls to be strong......what a gift ! Stay positive, take big breaths and please know you are being sent lots of love and warm hugs, from one mommy,women,wife to another.
You go girl! great things are in store for you. 2007 the year of spiritual perfection!

Anonymous said...

hello, Veronika!
While surfing in the net I discovered your profile and I also love the work of Paulo Coelho!!!! Do you know that he is launching his new book, The Witch of Portobello, through his blog
http://www.paulocoelhoblog.com?
I found it out because i'm inscibed to his newsletter http://www.warriorofthelight.com/engl/index.html
it's simply wonderful!
have a nice day!