The Wisdom of Robert Fulghum

Recently I discovered Robert Fulghum's newest book, What On Earth Have I Done? I have been a fan of his for over 20 years, have read most of what he has published, and continue to enjoy his work. This book is a collection of essays about Seattle, Moab (Utah), and Crete. Fulghum spends part of his time living in each of these places and brings each community to life with his stories.

As often happens with me, this was the right book at the right time. The page before the title page lists Questions asked of children by parents and then repeats the list as the Questions he still asks himself: "What on earth have I done?" "What in the name of God am I doing?" "What will I think of next?" "Who do I think I am?" Since these are some of the very questions I have been wrestling with for the last year, it felt like I had found a kindred spirit. I knew that even if I didn't find any answers, I would find stories that made me laugh.

And laugh I did, sometimes right out loud. I reflected on aspects of my own life. I also cried because some of his stories get right to the heart of what life is all about. The stories are so varied and told so well that I will not try to retell them here. I did want to share three small excerpts that particularly struck a chord with me.

In a story about baptism, Fulghum ends with these words: "The Great Law of the Conservation of Matter and Energy says nothing is ever lost. Everything is saved. Everything comes and goes. It only changes form. Water is essential to life. As is earth and energy. We exist in the flow of the mud and light."(p. 185) We live with what's hard and what's easy, some days we trudge along and some days we fly high.

In a story about his barber on Crete, he writes about how he feels like a member of the community. Fulghum writes: "And I am old enough to know that in this life you see what you look for, and you get what you are open to receive."(p. 230) This so beautifully echoes all that I've read about being present, having a positive outlook, and staying open to possibility.

One of the last stories in the book revisits an essay, The Meaning of Life, that first appeared in Fulghum's second book. Here he gives the background for the story and shares what happened many years later. The main character in the story is the man who established The Orthodox Academy of Crete, a place where people from all over the world come to resolve conflicts and share ideas. The man carries a small round mirror that he has had since he was a child, when he would use it to reflect light into dark places. Fulghum shares the man's explanation of the meaning of his life:

"I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just child's play but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light - the light of truth, understanding, and knowledge - is there, and that light will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world - into the dreary places in the hearts of men - and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. That is what I am about. That is the meaning of my life." (p. 291)

This man on Crete started with the idea of creating a place where groups of people, who see no way they could ever be in the same room with each other much less get along, could come together to find ways to solve their conflicts and share ideas. His idea became a reality, a place where dreams are realized. That story exemplifies presence, vision, and possibility.

I needed to read these stories right now at this time in my life, to hear again that it matters that I continue to dream and believe that those dreams are possible.

I needed to read these stories at this time in our country's history. We cannot buy into all the negativity swirling about because that means we believe it, and that is what will become real for us. We deserve so much more than that. We can keep moving forward as we look for the light. If we look for the best, we can find it. And we can shine our own light into the dark places.