I can relate to that

I am a fan of Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me. It makes me laugh and I take all the laughter I can get in my life. Each week, as they introduce the panelists, they often refer to books the panelists have written. I'm not sure why, but I decided to actually read something written by Tom Bodett. I was pleased to find that the library had some of his books, and checked out As Far as You Can Go Without a Passport. It was a very short and quick read, consisting of commentaries Bodett wrote back in the 80's (a time during which I was alive) for a local radio station. Each commentary became a chapter in the book and they were all about a page to a page and a half, which means that you can actually make progress in those spare five minute segments of life. But even better, it was a delightful read.

Bodett just writes about everyday, normal life. He writes about grocery shopping without a list, about family, friends, the missing sock phenomenon, and people in general. It's hard to choose which essays (which read like columns in a paper, not essays, really) I like the best, because they were all so relevant. For example, the essay about being in his thirties. Rather than feeling old and burned out, he expresses how great life is, and how exciting and full of possibility. I feel the same way. I am not young anymore, but I don't want to be. I like where I am at in life (on a general level. Some of the specifics I have issues with, but most of the time, not to a degree to sweat it). I also loved the essay about getting passionate about a cause. It just takes too much energy, and it seems like there are so many better things to be occupied with. Bodett manages to express it so perfectly.

While he does poke fun at the way people work, he also expresses a down-to-earth gratitude, such as in the when he writes about pregnant women, or the Group That Notices Things. Those chapters make you want to be a better person and leave you feeling good about humanity.

As the introduction to the book says, it's a normal book written about normal things by a normal guy. Which is almost a rarity anymore, if  you think about it. But don't let all that normalness fool you. It's a pretty simple book but it's a keeper.