There are three reasons why I wrote Seize the Day. First, as with my writing of The Teacher, I wanted to leave something special after me for posterity. Not a classic, a work of genius, or anything like that, but a book that people would find meaningful, inspirational, even perhaps beautiful. If I could achieve that, I would feel that all my writing has achieved a greater purpose.
Second, I have lived with a serious illness for over a decade now, which, far from causing me to feel sorry for myself or to retreat into negativity, has helped me to realise more than ever the value of each day, the beauty of the moment, the priceless treasure we have of this thing called life. As I often tell people, life is for living, and throughout the last ten years I have grabbed that life with both hands, exulting in the simple but special things it has to offer. That is the overriding message of the reflections in this book – one that is summed up in its title: Seize the Day: A Mindful Guide to Fuller Living. Quite simply, we cannot afford not to.
Finally, my hope with this book, as again with The Teacher, has been to speak across boundaries: not just to Christians, but to people of all faiths and none. I haven’t compromised my beliefs in writing it – at least I hope not – but I’ve tried to communicate them in a way that will touch a chord with all. Each reflection – prefaced by words of wisdom that have spoken powerfully across generations – speaks of the need to pause, consider, and open our hearts to a dimension we sometimes dismiss: the spiritual – a dimension that people are crying out for as much as they have ever done. For a variety of reasons, conventional religion has been widely rejected, but many still hunger for meaning, purpose, a sense of something beyond. In a materialistic age, a relativist age, a self-obsessed age, we need that more than ever.
This week, until 3 January, you can purchase Seize the Day from Kevin Mayhew Ltd at a 10 per cent discount, using the code SEIZE10 when ordering the title from the company’s website. With the book normally retailing at £14.99, that’s a saving of £1.50. Just type the code into the relevant box at the online checkout between the dates given.
Here, meanwhile, is the first of the reflections I’ll be posting this week from the book, to run alongside this promotion.
To walk
We don’t receive wisdom;
we must discover it for ourselves
after a journey that no one
can take for us or spare us.
Marcel Proust
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can, in all the places you can,
at all the times you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.
John Wesley
If anything is worth doing,
do it with all your heart.
The Buddha
To walk,
not consumed by each day’s care,
nor with vision stunted by the myopia of this world,
but with spirit free,
reaching up and outwards,
to a brighter light
and higher call.
To give,
not with hope of any reward,
nor expecting thanks,
but glad simply to bring joy to others:
to offer help, hope and happiness.
To love,
not for what we can get out of it,
but for what we can put in;
not with strings attached,
but unconditionally,
with our whole heart,
whole self,
whole being.
To live,
not timidly,
but rising to each day’s challenge;
not selfishly,
but seeking the good of all;
not superficially,
but exploring the height, breadth and depth of life;
not unrealistically,
but filled nonetheless with joy.
This is what we are called to do;
the people we are meant to be.
Life beckons,
rich in all its fulness,
holding out both challenge and promise.
Respond,
and receive.