When I first moved to my current apartment, my friend Sarah sent me a small package. Included in the package was a book called "Mr. Fooster, Traveling on a Whim". I called to thank her but I'll admit that I was not in a great state of mind to read and enjoy this book. So it sat on my dresser for two months. I finally picked up one night and read the whole thing cover to cover. I stayed up way past my bedtime but it was worth it.
It's one of those "new life lesson every time you read it" type of books but here's a few things that I got out of it so far (don't worry, I won't spoil the book):
1. Mr. Fooster walks through life in a general direction but is open to whatever he comes across whether it is a smiling katydid or a large stinky bug. It is this way of looking at life that makes him content.
2. At one point, he gets stuck in his life (though to be fair he remains observant and gets what he can out of it). After a time, symbolically he realizes that he can get himself out.
3. Then faced with difficulty or danger, Mr. Fooster doesn't worry or overreact. A solution eventually appears, sometimes in an unlikely place that gets him out of a sticky situation.
Any of this sound familiar? Exactly.
"Mr. Fooster, Traveling on a Whim" is an excellent gift book and one which I refer to often, if only to remind myself of those semi-simple important lessons that I seem to have to relearn over and over.
If you check out the Mr. Forster website www.mrfooster.com, you can have the book read to you the chapter by chapter by author Tom Corwin. With the audio are the illustrations that appear in the book in a Flash format (the book is illustrated by Craig Frazier). It is quite an excellent presentation, even when taken seperately from the book.
Chili mambo to you!