A Good Book Can Do That

Every now and then I begin a book casually and then find myself sucked into a black hole and missing for days. A good book can do that to a person. I should have known better. It was a perfect storm: dealing with difficult situations and a great book. It was as good as a vacation!

My latest gem is Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. I highly recommend it, otherwise I wouldn't admit to having been virtually kidnapped by his work. I am a fan of all his books: Outliers, Blink, Tipping Point, What the Dog Saw.... I have them all, and could read them again and again. One day I will when I finally unpack the boxes they have been living in. I miss seeing my books. If only I had a house to put them in. I have an eReader, but I rarely buy an electronic book because I like the feel of pages and seeing them lined up on shelves makes my heart flutter. I love going to the library, it feels like a piece of heaven.

One of the reasons I am excited about his writing is that he makes you think about things in a different way.  He tells you how you usually see things and then shows you how you may not be right all of the time. He challenges the way you think. His books are very humbling and at the same time empowering.

This particular book, David and Goliath, had so many sections that translated (in my mind) directly to medical training. And even one of the sections talked specifically about medicine and how challenging they way we think about situations can result in huge advances. Read the book!

My favorite concept was that of the inverted "U" curve. There is this sweet spot in just about every thing we do. We often think that if something is good for us than more of it is better. That isn't always the case. You can have too much of a good thing - and at some point that "thing" can actually begin to do harm.  Fascinating.

I apologize for my absence, you now know where I have been.

Along the same lines, thank you for your comments on my last mistake post. Whenever a post gets that many comments I know I have hit on something that people are thinking about and not many people are talking about.

Before I start another book (reading is one of the ways I cope with stress) I will make sure I follow up on that post. It's a new week - anything is possible!