The Classroom

She had been jotting the callers name in Morrie's small black appointment book.

I was impressed with, perhaps even a bit envious of, all the friends that Morrie seemed to have. I thought about the "buddies" that circled my orbit back in college. Where had they gone?

I've become much more interesting to people.

You were always interesting.

I'm visiting with my old pal now.

I was hardly the promising student who had left him sixteen years ealier.

I had no good excuse for this, except the one that everyone these days seems to have. I had become too wrapped up in the siren song of my own life. I was busy.

The eighties happened. The ninties happened. Death and sickness and getting fat and going bald happened. I traded lots of dreams for bigger paycheck, and I never even realized I was doing.

Yet here was Morrie talking with the wonder of our college years, as if I'd simply been on a long vacation.

Have you found someone to share your heart with?

Are you giving to your community?

Are you at peace with yourself?

Are you trying to be as human as you can be?

I squirmed.

I would live in beautiful, inspirational places.

I wrote articles about rich athletes who, for the mosr part, could not care less about people like me.

You have to be strong enough to say if culture doesn't work, don't buy it. Creat your own. Most people can't do it.

I couldn't deny that sitting in his presence was almost magically serene, the same calm breeze soothed me back in college.

changing my plane reservation late. Then Morrie did something that haynts me to this day.

I'm going to suffocate.

gasping for air

I tapped my thighs nervously. That was enough for one afternoon.

But his passion for books is real and contagious.

The tension of opposities.

Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it wouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.

He smiles ae me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.

Love wins. Love always wins.

教室

她一直在莫里的黑色小約會簿上記下來電者的名字。

我對莫里似乎擁有的所有朋友印象深刻，甚至有點羨慕。我想起了在大學裡環繞我的軌道的“夥伴”。他們去哪兒了？

我變得對人們更有趣了。

你總是很有趣。

我現在正和我的老朋友一起拜訪。

我不是那個在十六年前離開他的有前途的學生。

我沒有很好的藉口，除了現在每個人似乎都有的那個。我已經太沉浸在自己生命的警笛之歌中了。我很忙。

八十年代發生了。九十年代發生了。死亡、疾病、變胖和禿頂發生了。我用很多夢想換取更高的薪水，但我什至沒有意識到自己在做什麼。

然而，莫里卻在談論我們大學時代的奇蹟，就好像我只是在度過一個長假。

你有沒有找到一個可以分享你的心的人？

你給你的社區嗎？

你與自己和平相處嗎？

你想盡可能地做人嗎？

我蠕動著。

我會住在美麗、鼓舞人心的地方。

我寫了一些關於富有運動員的文章，對於大多數人來說，他們對像我這樣的人毫不在意。

你必須足夠堅強，如果文化不起作用，就不要買它。創建你自己的。大多數人做不到。

我不能否認坐在他面前幾乎是神奇的寧靜，同樣平靜的微風讓我回到了大學。

更改我的飛機預訂晚了。然後莫里做了一件讓我至今仍心有餘悸的事情。

我要窒息了。

喘著粗氣

我緊張地拍了拍大腿。一個下午就夠了。

但他對書籍的熱情是真實的且具有感染力的。

反對派的張力。

生活是一系列來回拉扯。你想做一件事，但你必須做另一件事。有些事情會傷害你，但你知道它不會。你認為某些事情是理所當然的，即使你知道你永遠不應該把任何事情視為理所當然。

他對我微笑，皺紋的眼睛，彎曲的牙齒。

愛贏。愛總是贏。