When You're Falling, Dive: Lessons in the Art of Living

by Mark Matousek and Mr Mark Matousek

Book Overview

"A guide to keeping the psyche intact when you're being spun on life's roulette wheel."-- O Is there an art to survival? Seeking answers to this intriguing question from a pantheon of master... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159691369X
• ISBN13: 9781596913691
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.6" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Choosing to live

The sub-title, lessons in the art of living, speaks to what this luminous book is all about. The stories and profiles are of people just like you or me. People who quietly live and love, and then come to a moment in their life for which there is no preparation. In that moment, they are forced to choose--do I or do I not become the hero of my own life? Some might liken these to "profiles in courage," yet I suspect that the people profiled would not lay claim to the word "courage." They are people who simply embrace the desire to choose. They are women and men who, with faith and hope, "dive" into the mystery of life and love. While reading this book I wondered if I could live, will I live, as those profiled have chosen to live--tapping into the best and bravest of who they are. The book cheers, confuses, and astonishes. It reminds us that the arbitrary and the seemingly senseless do not have to define who we are and who we will become. If I could have only ten books in my library, this would be would one of them.

I didn't want it to end

This is one of the few books I have read where I didn't want it to end. I turned the last page and was hoping to read more. Mark Matousek captures the challenges and tragedies people have faced in a very refreshing way describing their thoughts and feelings very authentically. He also details each individual's survival and ultimately how they thrive through their trials. He has a way of grasping how and why people are able to work with and through their struggles instead of against them. It's about seeing and being aware of reality for what it is and using that awareness and acceptance to turn tragedy into something positive. This book was very well written and very understandable. He has made the essence of awareness, acceptance and transformation accessible to the reader through very meaningful stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone regardless of your life experience. It can help everyone to see that our life is what it is and what we make of it whether that life has been void of or laden with struggles and tragedy.

Absolutely Fabulous

This is SO beautifully written. AND it's so wonderfully compiled. I know from my own experience of losing our youngest daughter, Lauren, to meningococcal meningitis when she was 18 (11 years ago), that our trials and tribulations and absolute lowest points in our lives not only take us to our knees, but afford us an opportunity to grow our souls! I am now a much stronger, wiser, more enlightened individual and, thus, resonated with each section of this very wise, stunningly created work. Kudos to Mr. Matousek for his research, sharing his own hard-won wisdom, and for such lovely prose! Thank you!

Finding the Treasure in the Cave

When You're Falling, Dive, is a MUST READ for anyone navigating life's stormy waters. This is a remarkable guidebook on plumbing the depths for the metamorphosis available in the darkness. Mark Matousek is a gifted wordsmith, with a unique ability to present profound life lessons in a form that is inviting and accessible. A wonderful storyteller with a keen eye for detail, he invites us to recognize the true power of surrendering to the transformational nature of the hardest times. This incredible collection of stories, from those who have gone to the heart of the fire, and emerged transformed, shows so clearly, that the Phoenix can, indeed, rise from the ashes. As the myths of old tell us, again and again - the true treasures lie in the depths of the cave. Mark Matousek offers comfort and courage to those willing to brave the dragons of fear, loss and grief to reach the reward that lies on the other side. Anyone who has lived through this kind of gut wrenching life change will find, in the pages of this incredible book, the comfort and camaraderie of fellow initiates. Anyone in the midst of the storm will find in it, the hope to keep going, to the great healing that lies on the other side.

Captures the change tragedy brings

Matousek is right on target with this book. He truly captures the essence of the change a person experiences when they have survived a tragedy. From the fabulous introduction and throughout each story of survival, even (especially) readers who are aware of how suffering has improved their lives will find nuggets of wisdom, as all angles of this phenomenon are explored. I had a hard time putting this book down, and plan to reread it often. As someone who feels isolated by my experiences and the spiritual growth that resulted from them, this book feels like a personal support group I can carry with me.