Facing Up: Living and Dying With Grace

I’m pretty Type A and very driven.

Sometimes, however, as I’ve aged (and hopefully matured), I sit back and ask myself “hmmm…I wonder how many years I actually have left?”

I think that when we are younger we tend to believe that “I’ll live to 80 or so” and have a full life (like my grandparents did, for example.)

Of course, as we all know, life doesn’t always work out that way.

The question, of course, is how do you deal with it when it doesn’t?

Some of you knew Ned Stutman. Some didn’t. But, his approach to life (and death) is something that everyone can appreciate.

That approach is shared in his book: Facing Up: Grateful Ned's Guide for Living and Dying with Grace

Now, a bit of disclosure…I consulted on a pro bono basis to Ned’s widow, Suzanne, on how to market the book (and, if you buy the book from the link I’ll earn something like $.04)

The jacket to the book reads “What a Nazi-hunting comedian and lawyer can teach us about cherishing life at every turn.”

And it is through those multitude of unique character intersections that your perspective will be changed, I think, for the better.

His story chronicles his ordeals at multiple US cancer treatment centers, but the beauty of the story isn’t how it ends (you already know that), it’s in the journey itself.

His humor, flirting with the nurses, making a top 10 list of the benefits of having cancer (#1: you don’t have to worry about getting cancer), just show a man who has “figured out” what it means to be present.

For friends of Ned (and there are many), this book is a natural. The marketing challenge is “why would someone who doesn’t know Ned want to read this book?”

I’m biased since I knew him and he touched my life in many ways since 4th grade.

So, let’s try this…if you didn’t know Ned and you post a comment below about one experience you had that made you “more present” in your day-to-day life, I’ll pick one of the submissions and send you my copy of the book.

Then, you can tell me if you think it works for someone who didn’t know Ned.

Fair enough?