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God Never Blinks #1
Dios nunca parpadea
50 relatos inspiradores, conmovedores y sabios que te ayudarán a jerarquizar tus prioridades, vivir con optimismo, enfrentar con fortaleza los problemas y descubrir la alegría de la vida. Cada capítulo invita a la reflexión con palabras llenas de sabiduría, verdades universales, consejos para valorar los momentos felices: - La vida no es justa, pero aun así es buena - Cree en los milagros - Perdona - Puedes enojarte con Dios, Él lo resiste - No te tomes en serio, los demás no lo hacen - Haz las paces con tu pasado para que no te eche a perder el presente - La vida es demasiado corta como para perder el tiempo odiando - Nadie está a cargo de tu felicidad, tú eres el director de tu alegría El libro de Regina Brett DIOS NUNCA PARPADEA, proporciona prácticas revelaciones que pueden cambiar el mundo. Deepak Chopra
264 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 2009
715 people are currently reading
5764 people want to read
About the author
Regina Brett
17 books211 followersRegina Brett has been a newspaper columnist for fourteen years, eight of them for Cleveland's Plain Dealer, where she was a finalist in 2008 and 2009 for the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. She also hosts a call-in talk show once a week on WCPN, the Cleveland NPR affiliate, and speaks regularly to companies and not-for-profit organizations
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April 28, 2025
"LIFE'S NOT FAIR, BUT IT'S GOOD."
Remember that line? If you do, chances are you recall that e-mail that made the rounds several years back, containing 50 inspirational quotes from The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Well, the quotes are back again in book form! This time, though, we have the full stories of the life events that inspired them in the sensible, down-to-earth heart and mind of their creator - Regina Brett.
We ALL have realized by now that life’s not fair. But did we ALSO know - and Now know in our Bones - that it’s GOOD?
I found that out, the only way - the HARD way!
Regina, a lifelong Catholic, was educated - like the rest of us brave souls - at the School of Hard Knocks.
And boy, has she got some stories to tell!
The quotes themselves, of course, are masterpieces of recollection, the fruit of that wonderful calm that follows every storm of the heart. And now we get her memorable stories of HOW she met that storm.
And WON.
´Really? Someone comes out AHEAD in the end? C’mon now - gimme a break!´
Well... maybe not at first, but through losing they CAN.
Because when you’ve lost, you GAIN Purpose and Strength when you endure the Storm peacefully. If you lose your life you gain it, the saying goes.
And you never really lose and gain your life back (are you confused yet?) till after you’ve endured... and have met your own MR. JONAS.
I’ll let her tell you THAT story, in her own very personal way...
"My friend Kathy once sent me an excerpt from the book Dandelion Wine. In Ray Bradbury's book about one vintage summer, a boy has taken ill. No one can figure out what is wrong.
”He’s simply overwhelmed by life.
“No one seems able to help him until Mr. Jonas, the junk man, comes along.
“He whispers something to the boy who lies asleep in a cot in the yard. Mr. Jonas tells him to rest quiet and listen, then reaches up and picks an apple off a tree. He lingers long enough to tell the boy a secret he carries inside him, one I didn't know I carried in ME:’
The secret?
“Some folks arrive in this world fragile. Like tender fruit, they bruise easier, cry more often, and turn sad young.
“Mr. Jonas knows because HE is one of those people.
“The words stir something in the boy... and he recovers."
No, Life’s just NOT FAIR. Just because we All bruise like these apples, just like this boy and Mr Jonas, doesn’t really matter in the end. We’ve got to get up again. That can hurt.
Life in your seventies isn’t FAIR either. We’ve always got to get up - in spite of all our endless aches and grievous pains - and do what we have to do. That hurts too.
No, life ain’t FAIR - but it’s GOOD. Because that’s what our Guide does for us...
If we keep facing His music again and again and keep on doing His will, we’ll be happy.
But, then - if we put our best face on, and do His will, and OURSELVES will that that Will be done, we’ll feel the totally Renewing Force of deep, silent Peace.
And that Peace will ERASE all our ancient gripes and complaints and mental chatter.
I KNOW -
Because that has Happened to Me.
Remember that line? If you do, chances are you recall that e-mail that made the rounds several years back, containing 50 inspirational quotes from The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Well, the quotes are back again in book form! This time, though, we have the full stories of the life events that inspired them in the sensible, down-to-earth heart and mind of their creator - Regina Brett.
We ALL have realized by now that life’s not fair. But did we ALSO know - and Now know in our Bones - that it’s GOOD?
I found that out, the only way - the HARD way!
Regina, a lifelong Catholic, was educated - like the rest of us brave souls - at the School of Hard Knocks.
And boy, has she got some stories to tell!
The quotes themselves, of course, are masterpieces of recollection, the fruit of that wonderful calm that follows every storm of the heart. And now we get her memorable stories of HOW she met that storm.
And WON.
´Really? Someone comes out AHEAD in the end? C’mon now - gimme a break!´
Well... maybe not at first, but through losing they CAN.
Because when you’ve lost, you GAIN Purpose and Strength when you endure the Storm peacefully. If you lose your life you gain it, the saying goes.
And you never really lose and gain your life back (are you confused yet?) till after you’ve endured... and have met your own MR. JONAS.
I’ll let her tell you THAT story, in her own very personal way...
"My friend Kathy once sent me an excerpt from the book Dandelion Wine. In Ray Bradbury's book about one vintage summer, a boy has taken ill. No one can figure out what is wrong.
”He’s simply overwhelmed by life.
“No one seems able to help him until Mr. Jonas, the junk man, comes along.
“He whispers something to the boy who lies asleep in a cot in the yard. Mr. Jonas tells him to rest quiet and listen, then reaches up and picks an apple off a tree. He lingers long enough to tell the boy a secret he carries inside him, one I didn't know I carried in ME:’
The secret?
“Some folks arrive in this world fragile. Like tender fruit, they bruise easier, cry more often, and turn sad young.
“Mr. Jonas knows because HE is one of those people.
“The words stir something in the boy... and he recovers."
No, Life’s just NOT FAIR. Just because we All bruise like these apples, just like this boy and Mr Jonas, doesn’t really matter in the end. We’ve got to get up again. That can hurt.
Life in your seventies isn’t FAIR either. We’ve always got to get up - in spite of all our endless aches and grievous pains - and do what we have to do. That hurts too.
No, life ain’t FAIR - but it’s GOOD. Because that’s what our Guide does for us...
If we keep facing His music again and again and keep on doing His will, we’ll be happy.
But, then - if we put our best face on, and do His will, and OURSELVES will that that Will be done, we’ll feel the totally Renewing Force of deep, silent Peace.
And that Peace will ERASE all our ancient gripes and complaints and mental chatter.
I KNOW -
Because that has Happened to Me.
September 26, 2022
I’ve owned this book for a very long time. In fact, I must have purchased this little gem when it came out in 2010 or 2011. The best part about it is the Borders price tag is still on the back. Does anyone remember Borders bookstore? To this day, I still miss Borders, they were my favorite bookstore. But on to the book…
Through the years, I always picked this book up and would read a few chapters (in this case lessons). For some reason, I would put the book down and move on with life and pick up and repeat a few lessons here and there. After having a rather rough month, and seeing a nice review from a fellow Goodreads friend, I decided now was the perfect time to read this book from beginning to end. I am so grateful that I did.
There are 50 Lessons in this book, and of course some lessons spoke to me more than others. I’ve marked all my favorite lessons in the contents for future reference. I think one of my favorite lessons (although I have many), is Lesson 40: “If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else’s, we’d fight to get back our own”. So, so true! While we may be going through hard times, we somehow manage to figure out our own problems and how to take care of ourselves- thus making others problems seem way worse…
There were some lessons in this book that also made me teary eyed, and some that were very inspiring. I’m not sure what took me so long to read this book, but I am so glad that I did!
Through the years, I always picked this book up and would read a few chapters (in this case lessons). For some reason, I would put the book down and move on with life and pick up and repeat a few lessons here and there. After having a rather rough month, and seeing a nice review from a fellow Goodreads friend, I decided now was the perfect time to read this book from beginning to end. I am so grateful that I did.
There are 50 Lessons in this book, and of course some lessons spoke to me more than others. I’ve marked all my favorite lessons in the contents for future reference. I think one of my favorite lessons (although I have many), is Lesson 40: “If we all threw our problems in a pile and got a look at everyone else’s, we’d fight to get back our own”. So, so true! While we may be going through hard times, we somehow manage to figure out our own problems and how to take care of ourselves- thus making others problems seem way worse…
There were some lessons in this book that also made me teary eyed, and some that were very inspiring. I’m not sure what took me so long to read this book, but I am so glad that I did!
May 11, 2010
This was another one of those books where it didn't feel like I picked it, but that it picked me. I've been in a little bit of a spiritual slump for the past few weeks, partly because my life got really busy. My prayers suffered, and I started to feel that bit of resentment toward life rise up in me and I started to aim it toward God for letting life get difficult. Most nights my prayers were only to ask God if He was still there, or if He was too busy too. The cover of this book caught my eye, so I opened it and read the table of contents that has the 50 lessons. Lesson 8 said, "It's okay to be angry with God. He can take it." My eyes got all misty, like that was the answer to my prayers I was looking for. So I bought it, and read it in 2 days. Very easy read. Many of the lessons are illustrated with stories from the author's life or the life of her friends. She comes across as an authentic human being who has learned to find peace with the mistakes she's made, and tried to have fun along this spiritual journey through life. Worth reading, and heartily recommended to my goodreads friends.
July 8, 2011
What a thought-provoking book! Funny, wise, simple (as is all true wisdom), and thoroughly delightful.
Regina Brett is a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She has lived a life of challenge, heartbreak, joy, These are the 50 lessons life taught her as she went through numerous life experiences, some self-imposed, others through little or no fault of her own. They are, I believe, common in character (if not in the details) to the life experiences many of us must endure, but the difference is that she appears to have thought courageously and carefully about them, unlike many of us, who simply endure.
This is one of those books that is going to matter differently for each person that reads it, but will likely hold something of value for nearly everyone. The following thoughts stood out most to me; they may or may not resonate with you.
• When in doubt, just take the next right step. Often it is so small that we don’t see it, because the vision of what we think we must do is so large as to obscure everything else. So, we don’t see the small, simple step. Don’t stare at the abyss, just take the next small step.
• Find peace in imperfection. Often, we take ourselves way too seriously. We see the world in black and white. Either I’m good or I’m bad. I’m right or I’m wrong. I’m perfect or I’m a disaster. We must see (and often accept) shades of gray. Or better yet, acknowledge all the colors of the rainbow rather than the two or three we think we are supposed to be.
• You don’t have to win every argument. Sometimes, it is better to yield than to dispute. And sometimes we fight hardest over the smallest stakes.
• It’s OK to get angry with God…He can take it. After the storm, we may find peace.
• Make peace with your past so it doesn’t screw up your present. How do you stop feeling you aren’t good enough? That message of inner peace and joy is whispered to us in the calm that follows when we help others to feel that they are good enough.
• Don’t try to find the right person…instead, seek to become the right person.
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks. That statement was what brought me to this book. I don’t understand it to mean that God will make everything always go well – that is patently false. I believe instead that, whatever our understandings and plans may be, God’s plans for us are far greater, and stretch across the eternities, rather than across this pitifully small space of time that we call life.
• Andres Dubus (in A Father’s Story: “It is not hard to live through a day, if you can live through a moment. What creates despair is the imagination, which pretends there is a future, and insists on predicting millions of moments, thousands of days, and so drains you that you cannot live the moment at hand.” Don’t squander today being afraid of tomorrow or wallowing in guilt or regrets or resentments about the past.
• A writer is someone who writes. If you want to be a writer write. Word by word. Line by line. The same holds true for anything else you want to be. Do you want to become? Then do!
• Three simple steps to change your life: (1) Choose one thing you need to say not to; (2) Choose one thing you need and want to say yes to; (3) Share those two things – that yes and that no – with your biggest cheerleader. Repeat.
• Choose life. Don’t just exist…live! Living is too dear to do anything else. Don’t audit life.
• Rick Warren (in The Purpose-Driven Life): “Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.”
• Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick, but your friends and family will. Stay in touch with them.
• God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
• Rid yourself of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful. That includes whatever is inside of you as well.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up for life. And when you don’t feel like it, that is when you most need to do it.
Regina Brett is a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She has lived a life of challenge, heartbreak, joy, These are the 50 lessons life taught her as she went through numerous life experiences, some self-imposed, others through little or no fault of her own. They are, I believe, common in character (if not in the details) to the life experiences many of us must endure, but the difference is that she appears to have thought courageously and carefully about them, unlike many of us, who simply endure.
This is one of those books that is going to matter differently for each person that reads it, but will likely hold something of value for nearly everyone. The following thoughts stood out most to me; they may or may not resonate with you.
• When in doubt, just take the next right step. Often it is so small that we don’t see it, because the vision of what we think we must do is so large as to obscure everything else. So, we don’t see the small, simple step. Don’t stare at the abyss, just take the next small step.
• Find peace in imperfection. Often, we take ourselves way too seriously. We see the world in black and white. Either I’m good or I’m bad. I’m right or I’m wrong. I’m perfect or I’m a disaster. We must see (and often accept) shades of gray. Or better yet, acknowledge all the colors of the rainbow rather than the two or three we think we are supposed to be.
• You don’t have to win every argument. Sometimes, it is better to yield than to dispute. And sometimes we fight hardest over the smallest stakes.
• It’s OK to get angry with God…He can take it. After the storm, we may find peace.
• Make peace with your past so it doesn’t screw up your present. How do you stop feeling you aren’t good enough? That message of inner peace and joy is whispered to us in the calm that follows when we help others to feel that they are good enough.
• Don’t try to find the right person…instead, seek to become the right person.
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks. That statement was what brought me to this book. I don’t understand it to mean that God will make everything always go well – that is patently false. I believe instead that, whatever our understandings and plans may be, God’s plans for us are far greater, and stretch across the eternities, rather than across this pitifully small space of time that we call life.
• Andres Dubus (in A Father’s Story: “It is not hard to live through a day, if you can live through a moment. What creates despair is the imagination, which pretends there is a future, and insists on predicting millions of moments, thousands of days, and so drains you that you cannot live the moment at hand.” Don’t squander today being afraid of tomorrow or wallowing in guilt or regrets or resentments about the past.
• A writer is someone who writes. If you want to be a writer write. Word by word. Line by line. The same holds true for anything else you want to be. Do you want to become? Then do!
• Three simple steps to change your life: (1) Choose one thing you need to say not to; (2) Choose one thing you need and want to say yes to; (3) Share those two things – that yes and that no – with your biggest cheerleader. Repeat.
• Choose life. Don’t just exist…live! Living is too dear to do anything else. Don’t audit life.
• Rick Warren (in The Purpose-Driven Life): “Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.”
• Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick, but your friends and family will. Stay in touch with them.
• God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
• Rid yourself of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful. That includes whatever is inside of you as well.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up for life. And when you don’t feel like it, that is when you most need to do it.
May 7, 2014
One of the newest additions to our library is the book God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours by Regina Brett. When Brett turned 45, she wrote down 45 lessons that life had taught her thus far and published them in her column for Cleveland’s newspaper The Plain Dealer. The column was hugely popular, and when she turned 50 she added five lessons and then expounded them into a book. Each lesson is a short essay, and they can be read in order or you can jump around and read those that stand out to you. Brett’s writing is honest and raw, with a touch of humor for good measure.
I found inspiration in this book right from the beginning in Lesson 1: Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. The author’s friend Frank “lives by two simple words: Get to. They remind him to be grateful for everything. Instead of saying, ‘I have to go to work today,’ Frank tells himself, ‘I get to go to work.’ Instead of saying, ‘I have to get groceries,’ he gets to. Instead of saying, ‘I have to take the kids to baseball practice,’ he gets to. It works for everything.” I love this. It is such a small change in thought or speech, saying get to instead of have to, but it makes a huge difference in my attitude. It pains me that I often take the many blessings in my life for granted, and this small change of phrase helps me to turn every action of my day into a moment of thanksgiving.
I also especially liked Lesson 17: You can get through anything life hands you if you stay put in the day you are in and don’t jump ahead. The author speaks of an older woman she met on a spiritual retreat. “Every morning, rain or shine, snow or sleet, she would open her bedroom window, take a deep breath, and greet the day with these words: ‘This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice in it and be glad.’ This. This is the day. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. This day.” This echoes the theme of thanksgiving in Lesson 1, and reminds us (me!) to stay present in the moment in which we are living, to be thankful for what God has given us right now instead of worrying about what might happen tomorrow, or next week, or ten years from now.
The book’s title comes from Lesson 15: Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks. “In one of his novels, Chaim Potok describes how God sees versus how humans see. We see the world as fragmented, because we blink. But God, who never blinks, sees the entire universe as we cannot see it. Whole.” What a beautiful thought.
(From my church's newsletter, September 2013)
February 12, 2022
błagam was w ciągu swojego całego życia, znajdźcie tą jedną chwilę na przeczytajnie tej książki, gwarantuje wam że nie pożałujecie
w skrócie znalazłam tu odpowiedzi na większość pytań jakie się kłębiły w mojej głowie, każda z 50 lekcji jest ogromnie wartościowa i daje do myślenia, czytając zarówno śmiałam się jak i płakałam a po skończeniu rozdziału wszystko analizowałam
rozdziały krótkie więc się przez książkę płynie, polecam ją KAŻDEMU bez wyjątku
w skrócie znalazłam tu odpowiedzi na większość pytań jakie się kłębiły w mojej głowie, każda z 50 lekcji jest ogromnie wartościowa i daje do myślenia, czytając zarówno śmiałam się jak i płakałam a po skończeniu rozdziału wszystko analizowałam
rozdziały krótkie więc się przez książkę płynie, polecam ją KAŻDEMU bez wyjątku
January 9, 2017
Мені сподобалось. Дуже легко читається, коротенькі розділи, історії з життя до кожного розділу.
Це роздуми Регіни Брет, про те, чого навчило її життя, оформленні у вигляді уроків. Читати було цікаво, хоч і не з усім я погоджуюсь з автором.
З одного боку, в її уроках немає нічого наднового чи незвичайного. Та з іншого боку, чи не є саме це шляхом до щасливого життя - усвідомлення простих істин та слідування їм.
Деякі історії дуже сильно зворушили мене - історія про непрості стосунки з мамою (45 урок) та історія, про реципієнтів нирки з 49 розділу.
Цікаво, що Регіна Бретт досить щира у своїх стосунках з Богом, попри дуже складний бекграунд повязаний з церквою та дитячими роками. Тому імпонує те, наскільки важливі для неї ці стосунки.
"Мені знадобилося сорок років, щоб знайти і зберегти щастя. Мені завжди здавалося, що Бог заплющив очі саме в ту мить, коли я народилася. Він пропустив цю мить і так ніколи й не довідався, що я з’явилася на світ. У моїх батьків було одинадцятеро дітей. Я дуже люблю своїх батьків, своїх п’ятьох братів і п’ятьох сестер, проте інколи я почувалася маленькою й непомітною, ніби мене загубили між непотребу. Кеті часто казала, що я була як порошинка. Вийшло так, що в шестирічному віці мені скаламутили розум черниці, у шістнадцять я була «блудною дочкою» і зловживала алкоголем, у двадцять один народила дитину і стала незаміжньою мамою, у тридцять закінчила університет, протягом вісімнадцяти років сама виховувала дочку і аж у сорокарічному віці вийшла заміж за чоловіка, який готовий мені зірку з неба дістати.
А в сорок один у мене виявили рак. Цілий рік я з ним боролася, ще один рік знадобився на те, щоб відновити сили після важкої боротьби."
П’ятдесят уроків
Урок 1. Життя несправедливе, та все одно прекрасне
Урок 2. Якщо сумніваєтесь, просто зробіть наступний правильний крок
Урок 3. Життя занадто коротке, щоб марнувати його на обр\aзи
Урок 4. Не будьте занадто вимогливими до себе, ми всі не бездоганні
Урок 5. Виплачуйте заборгованість за кредитною карткою щомісяця
Урок 6. Не обов’язково брати гору в кожній суперечці. Поважайте чужу думку
Урок 7. Не плачте наодинці, набагато легше ділити горе з кимось
Урок 8. Ви можете сердитись на Бога, за це Він на вас не образиться
Урок 9. Найважливішим статевим органом є ваш мозок
Урок 10. Бог ніколи не дає нам більше, ніж ми можемо витримати
Урок 11. Примиріться зі своїм минулим, щоб воно не псувало вашого теперішнього життя
Урок 12. Не бійтеся показувати дітям свої сльози
Урок 13. Не порівнюйте себе з іншими людьми. Ви не знаєте, куди веде їхній життєвий шлях
Урок 14. Якщо стосунки мають бути таємними, вам не потрібні такі стосунки
Урок 15. Ви й моргнути не встигнете, як усе може змінитися. Та не хвилюйтеся, Бог ніколи не моргає
Урок 16. Життя занадто коротке, щоб жаліти себе. Будьте зайняті або життям, або помиранням
Урок 17. Ви зможете витримати все, якщо не будете заглядати в майбутнє, а житимете сьогоднішнім днем
Урок 18. Письменник — це той, хто пише. Якщо хочете бути письменником — пишіть
Урок 19. Ніколи не пізно мати щасливе дитинство. Ваше друге дитинство залежить лише від вас
Урок 20. Якщо хочете займатися тим, що любите, не приймайте відповідь «ні»
Урок 21. Запаліть свічки, застеліть гарну постіль, одягніть вишукану білизну. Не тримайте їх для якогось особливого випадку, адже кожен день особливий
Урок 22. Добре підготуйтесь, а тоді просто пливіть за течією
Урок 23. Будьте ексцентричними. Не треба чекати старості, щоб носити фіолетовий одяг
Урок 24. Почніть відкладати 10 % на старість, щойно отримаєте першу зарплатню
Урок 25. Ваше щастя залежить лише від вас, бо лише ви — директор власного щастя
Урок 26. Щоразу, коли трапиться так звана «катастрофа», запитайте себе: «Чи буде це мати для мене хоч якесь значення через п’ять років?»
Урок 27. Завжди обирайте життя
Урок 28. Усім усе прощайте
Урок 29. Нехай вас не хвилює, що про вас думають інші
Урок 30. Час лікує майже всі рани, лиш дайте часу час
Урок 31. Хоч яким поганим чи добрим є зараз ваше життя, все зміниться
Урок 32. Робота не подбає про вас, якщо захворієте, а друзі завжди будуть поряд. Тож цінуйте їх
Урок 33. Вірте в чудеса
Урок 34. Бог просто любить вас, незважаючи на те, що ви зробили чи не зробили
Урок 35. Те, що вас не вбиває, справді робить вас сильнішими
Урок 36. Дожити до старості — набагато кращий варіант. Померти молодим — це виглядає ефектно лише в кіно
Урок 37. У ваших дітей є лише одне дитинство. Зробіть його незабутнім
Урок 38. Читайте псалми. Не має значення ваше віровизнання, адже вони розповідають про всі людські почуття
Урок 39. Щодня виходьте надвір — там на вас чекають чудеса
Урок 40. Якщо зібрати всі наші проблеми докупи і подивитися на чужі, то ми кинемося відбивати свої
Урок 41. Не аналізуйте життя. Живіть теперішнім і віддавайтеся йому на всі сто
Урок 42. Позбудьтеся всього, що вам не подобається, не тішить вас і не дає жодної користі
Урок 43. Урешті-решт значення має лише те, чи ви любили
Урок 44. Заздрість — це марнування часу, у вас уже є все необхідне
Урок 45. Найкраще — попереду
Урок 46. За будь-якого самопочуття вставайте, добре вдягайтесь і йдіть назустріч життю
Урок 47. Дихайте. Це заспокоює розум
Урок 48. Якщо не попросите — не отримаєте
Урок 49. Поступайтеся
Урок 50. Життя не перев’язане стрічкою з бантом, та це все одно подарунок
Це роздуми Регіни Брет, про те, чого навчило її життя, оформленні у вигляді уроків. Читати було цікаво, хоч і не з усім я погоджуюсь з автором.
З одного боку, в її уроках немає нічого наднового чи незвичайного. Та з іншого боку, чи не є саме це шляхом до щасливого життя - усвідомлення простих істин та слідування їм.
Деякі історії дуже сильно зворушили мене - історія про непрості стосунки з мамою (45 урок) та історія, про реципієнтів нирки з 49 розділу.
Цікаво, що Регіна Бретт досить щира у своїх стосунках з Богом, попри дуже складний бекграунд повязаний з церквою та дитячими роками. Тому імпонує те, наскільки важливі для неї ці стосунки.
"Мені знадобилося сорок років, щоб знайти і зберегти щастя. Мені завжди здавалося, що Бог заплющив очі саме в ту мить, коли я народилася. Він пропустив цю мить і так ніколи й не довідався, що я з’явилася на світ. У моїх батьків було одинадцятеро дітей. Я дуже люблю своїх батьків, своїх п’ятьох братів і п’ятьох сестер, проте інколи я почувалася маленькою й непомітною, ніби мене загубили між непотребу. Кеті часто казала, що я була як порошинка. Вийшло так, що в шестирічному віці мені скаламутили розум черниці, у шістнадцять я була «блудною дочкою» і зловживала алкоголем, у двадцять один народила дитину і стала незаміжньою мамою, у тридцять закінчила університет, протягом вісімнадцяти років сама виховувала дочку і аж у сорокарічному віці вийшла заміж за чоловіка, який готовий мені зірку з неба дістати.
А в сорок один у мене виявили рак. Цілий рік я з ним боролася, ще один рік знадобився на те, щоб відновити сили після важкої боротьби."
П’ятдесят уроків
Урок 1. Життя несправедливе, та все одно прекрасне
Урок 2. Якщо сумніваєтесь, просто зробіть наступний правильний крок
Урок 3. Життя занадто коротке, щоб марнувати його на обр\aзи
Урок 4. Не будьте занадто вимогливими до себе, ми всі не бездоганні
Урок 5. Виплачуйте заборгованість за кредитною карткою щомісяця
Урок 6. Не обов’язково брати гору в кожній суперечці. Поважайте чужу думку
Урок 7. Не плачте наодинці, набагато легше ділити горе з кимось
Урок 8. Ви можете сердитись на Бога, за це Він на вас не образиться
Урок 9. Найважливішим статевим органом є ваш мозок
Урок 10. Бог ніколи не дає нам більше, ніж ми можемо витримати
Урок 11. Примиріться зі своїм минулим, щоб воно не псувало вашого теперішнього життя
Урок 12. Не бійтеся показувати дітям свої сльози
Урок 13. Не порівнюйте себе з іншими людьми. Ви не знаєте, куди веде їхній життєвий шлях
Урок 14. Якщо стосунки мають бути таємними, вам не потрібні такі стосунки
Урок 15. Ви й моргнути не встигнете, як усе може змінитися. Та не хвилюйтеся, Бог ніколи не моргає
Урок 16. Життя занадто коротке, щоб жаліти себе. Будьте зайняті або життям, або помиранням
Урок 17. Ви зможете витримати все, якщо не будете заглядати в майбутнє, а житимете сьогоднішнім днем
Урок 18. Письменник — це той, хто пише. Якщо хочете бути письменником — пишіть
Урок 19. Ніколи не пізно мати щасливе дитинство. Ваше друге дитинство залежить лише від вас
Урок 20. Якщо хочете займатися тим, що любите, не приймайте відповідь «ні»
Урок 21. Запаліть свічки, застеліть гарну постіль, одягніть вишукану білизну. Не тримайте їх для якогось особливого випадку, адже кожен день особливий
Урок 22. Добре підготуйтесь, а тоді просто пливіть за течією
Урок 23. Будьте ексцентричними. Не треба чекати старості, щоб носити фіолетовий одяг
Урок 24. Почніть відкладати 10 % на старість, щойно отримаєте першу зарплатню
Урок 25. Ваше щастя залежить лише від вас, бо лише ви — директор власного щастя
Урок 26. Щоразу, коли трапиться так звана «катастрофа», запитайте себе: «Чи буде це мати для мене хоч якесь значення через п’ять років?»
Урок 27. Завжди обирайте життя
Урок 28. Усім усе прощайте
Урок 29. Нехай вас не хвилює, що про вас думають інші
Урок 30. Час лікує майже всі рани, лиш дайте часу час
Урок 31. Хоч яким поганим чи добрим є зараз ваше життя, все зміниться
Урок 32. Робота не подбає про вас, якщо захворієте, а друзі завжди будуть поряд. Тож цінуйте їх
Урок 33. Вірте в чудеса
Урок 34. Бог просто любить вас, незважаючи на те, що ви зробили чи не зробили
Урок 35. Те, що вас не вбиває, справді робить вас сильнішими
Урок 36. Дожити до старості — набагато кращий варіант. Померти молодим — це виглядає ефектно лише в кіно
Урок 37. У ваших дітей є лише одне дитинство. Зробіть його незабутнім
Урок 38. Читайте псалми. Не має значення ваше віровизнання, адже вони розповідають про всі людські почуття
Урок 39. Щодня виходьте надвір — там на вас чекають чудеса
Урок 40. Якщо зібрати всі наші проблеми докупи і подивитися на чужі, то ми кинемося відбивати свої
Урок 41. Не аналізуйте життя. Живіть теперішнім і віддавайтеся йому на всі сто
Урок 42. Позбудьтеся всього, що вам не подобається, не тішить вас і не дає жодної користі
Урок 43. Урешті-решт значення має лише те, чи ви любили
Урок 44. Заздрість — це марнування часу, у вас уже є все необхідне
Урок 45. Найкраще — попереду
Урок 46. За будь-якого самопочуття вставайте, добре вдягайтесь і йдіть назустріч життю
Урок 47. Дихайте. Це заспокоює розум
Урок 48. Якщо не попросите — не отримаєте
Урок 49. Поступайтеся
Урок 50. Життя не перев’язане стрічкою з бантом, та це все одно подарунок
March 14, 2014
I don't know what I was expecting, but even for a self help book with a religious undertone this is a bad title. The woman speaks only in clichés, provides obvious, superfluous advice, and her default answer for everything is "just pray". The book is also filled with self-contradictions, AA propaganda, Oprah's brand of wishy-washy Christian spirituality mixed up with Catholic dogma, eastern "zen" meditation, horoscopes, "the secret" and all sorts of superstitious wishful thinking nonsense.
I'm probably staying away from these kinds of books for a while.
I'm probably staying away from these kinds of books for a while.
November 17, 2022
Trochę ckliwego bullshitu, trochę lekcji, które są do zaimplikowania dopiero jak będę co najmniej 20 lat starsza i mocniej dotknięta życiem. Ale pośród tego wszystkiego znajdują się również słowa, które zostaną na dłużej i które, mam nadzieję, chociaż do pewnego stopnia wdrożę do mojego sposobu myślenia i postrzegania rzeczywistości:)
May 4, 2010
Everyone should own a copy!
May 6, 2010
This is a little gem of a book. It is a quick read - the chapters are very short, almost editorials - yet it is well worth the time invested.
I don't necessarily agree with everything Ms. Brett writes, but this is one of those instances where it doesn't really matter if I agree or not. She still presents a good case for her positions. And while I'd be hard pressed to agree with (or support) some of the choices she made in her life, she is unflinching in the lessons she learned.
As is usually the case when I read a book that contains so much of the "heart" of the author, I always wonder if I would like to meet, or know, said author. The answer this time, is that I should like to meet Ms. Brett. I imagine we could have a few interesting discussions. All around us are people who have dealt with all manner of difficulties and heartbreak who manage to rise above the pain and find the joy in life. Many of those heroic stories we never hear.
This is one of those books that I might like to purchase (having borrowed this copy from the library) and think it might be nice to pick it up and re-read sections.
I found this to be an uplifting book - not meant to be a replacement for religion (as I read in a different review) - but an expression of gratitude for all that life has to offer, along with encouragement to help face whatever comes along.
Some standout sections:
"I've had a great life," he said through the oxygen mask over and over. "No one has had a better life than me." What a great claim to make on your deathbed. To wrap your arms around the life you lived and give thanks for it alone. No regrets. No what-ifs. No should haves."
"I once heard someone say that prayer is more than words. It's a stance you take, a position you claim. You throw your body against the door to keep the demons from advancing and stay put until they go away."
"A friend of mine signs her e-mails with a Leonard Cohen chorus discounting perfect offerings. She embraces her imperfect offerings of art and music, confident that any cracks in them let the light sneak in."
I don't necessarily agree with everything Ms. Brett writes, but this is one of those instances where it doesn't really matter if I agree or not. She still presents a good case for her positions. And while I'd be hard pressed to agree with (or support) some of the choices she made in her life, she is unflinching in the lessons she learned.
As is usually the case when I read a book that contains so much of the "heart" of the author, I always wonder if I would like to meet, or know, said author. The answer this time, is that I should like to meet Ms. Brett. I imagine we could have a few interesting discussions. All around us are people who have dealt with all manner of difficulties and heartbreak who manage to rise above the pain and find the joy in life. Many of those heroic stories we never hear.
This is one of those books that I might like to purchase (having borrowed this copy from the library) and think it might be nice to pick it up and re-read sections.
I found this to be an uplifting book - not meant to be a replacement for religion (as I read in a different review) - but an expression of gratitude for all that life has to offer, along with encouragement to help face whatever comes along.
Some standout sections:
"I've had a great life," he said through the oxygen mask over and over. "No one has had a better life than me." What a great claim to make on your deathbed. To wrap your arms around the life you lived and give thanks for it alone. No regrets. No what-ifs. No should haves."
"I once heard someone say that prayer is more than words. It's a stance you take, a position you claim. You throw your body against the door to keep the demons from advancing and stay put until they go away."
"A friend of mine signs her e-mails with a Leonard Cohen chorus discounting perfect offerings. She embraces her imperfect offerings of art and music, confident that any cracks in them let the light sneak in."
June 9, 2018
That one section about “when i see a woman of a certain age wearing purple i think, how boring to be so sensible all the time”— thank you Regina for letting it be known that women over fifty do not own the right to wear the color purple !!
Okay forreal this time:
idk i feel like maybe the intention may have been to write really DIRECT sentences that come off strong and powerful but they instead felt very surface-level?
- “i basked in a nearly constant awareness that life is good. It took decades of hard work, but i was at a new place.”
- “i have a dream job because i didn’t take no for an answer.”
- “The secret of life is to choose life.” (??!?!!!?!)
i also think maybe a major point made was to appreciate the little things & do what makes ya happy & all that good ish, which i can get on board with But! sometimes the delivery was lost on me, like wearing cheetah sunglasses or being a monk and simultaneously sporting a pair of cowboy boots is apparently what it means to live life and “Be Eccentric!” ...idk
Important (though tired and cliche— sry) takeaway messages but in terms of style very formulaic and lacking in depth, not because the short essays format didn’t allow room to build up the emotion it needed but more because some words seemed to just uselessly take up space (the poison for kuzco. The poison chosen specifically for kuzco. Kuzco’s poison!)
Some noteworthy lessons tho:
2: When in Doubt, Just Take the Next Right Step
17: You Can Get Through Anything Life Hands You if You Stay Put in the Day You Are in and Don’t Jump Ahead
29: What Other People Think Of You Is None Of Your Business
46: No Matter How You Feel, Get Up, Dress Up, and Show Up for Life
Okay forreal this time:
idk i feel like maybe the intention may have been to write really DIRECT sentences that come off strong and powerful but they instead felt very surface-level?
- “i basked in a nearly constant awareness that life is good. It took decades of hard work, but i was at a new place.”
- “i have a dream job because i didn’t take no for an answer.”
- “The secret of life is to choose life.” (??!?!!!?!)
i also think maybe a major point made was to appreciate the little things & do what makes ya happy & all that good ish, which i can get on board with But! sometimes the delivery was lost on me, like wearing cheetah sunglasses or being a monk and simultaneously sporting a pair of cowboy boots is apparently what it means to live life and “Be Eccentric!” ...idk
Important (though tired and cliche— sry) takeaway messages but in terms of style very formulaic and lacking in depth, not because the short essays format didn’t allow room to build up the emotion it needed but more because some words seemed to just uselessly take up space (the poison for kuzco. The poison chosen specifically for kuzco. Kuzco’s poison!)
Some noteworthy lessons tho:
2: When in Doubt, Just Take the Next Right Step
17: You Can Get Through Anything Life Hands You if You Stay Put in the Day You Are in and Don’t Jump Ahead
29: What Other People Think Of You Is None Of Your Business
46: No Matter How You Feel, Get Up, Dress Up, and Show Up for Life
October 28, 2012
The title of this book might lead one to believe that there are heavy religious/spiritual undertones in this book, and in some of the essays that is true. But, many of the essays are just about hope, optimism, finding strength, appreciating life, not taking things for granted, managing stress, etc. As someone who was raised in a religious family but isn't overly religious these days, I did not think the religious overtones in some of the essays were too much. In fact, I like that Brett admits her faith is sometimes shaky, and that she doesn't claim that it's the end all be all. It's just a lens through which she sees the world, but she is accepting and embracing of other perspectives. What I like about this book is the honesty, the message(s), and the variety. Everyone should find something in here that speaks to them and their life's journey. The 50 essays are all short (which is welcomed), passionate, thought-provoking, and sometimes inspirational. I revisit some of them regularly, and they help me strive to be more at peace with my life and the world.
July 24, 2023
wzruszylam się
August 9, 2021
"La ley de la atracción: ése es el secreto. Tú atraes todo lo que viene a tu vida mediante los pensamientos que albergas. Tú creas tu vida con tus pensamientos."
50 lecciones que debemos hacer en la vida, me gustó mucho su narrativa y la historia que la autora nos contaba para explicar cada una, me han llegado al ❤️.
50 lecciones que debemos hacer en la vida, me gustó mucho su narrativa y la historia que la autora nos contaba para explicar cada una, me han llegado al ❤️.
January 13, 2020
Для мене то певно 3 зірочки, але я не можу занизити рейтинг хорошій книжці тільки тому, що мені щось там не підійшло суб'єктивно. Є багато речей, над якими хочеться подумати, але і води теж вистачає. Загалом, мало нового, але історії про людей дуже зворушливі.
June 25, 2010
One of the few times I've read non-fiction. As you might guess from the title, Regina Brett is pretty religious. In fact a good amount of chapters are solely devoted to her views on God, but this is not a religious book.
Brett's writing is simple to follow and sincere. The chapters are short and honest. She writes about her experiences of being a single mother at the age of 21, having breast cancer, and searching for a husband. She mentions a lot about what she has learned from other people and not only from her own experiences. I could agree with the majority of what Brett wrote although it seems that she contradicts herself slightly from chapter to chapter depending on circumstances.
She writes about the usual stuff. ‘What doesn't kill makes you stronger, follow your dream, appreciate today, make peace with you past, focus on people not things or your job, etc’. Most of the things were just reminders of what I've been told nearly all my life just put into different stories and different words which isn’t bad to be reminded and Brett presents them in a meaningful heartfelt way. However, there were a few things that were new that I appreciated more.
Brett's writing is simple to follow and sincere. The chapters are short and honest. She writes about her experiences of being a single mother at the age of 21, having breast cancer, and searching for a husband. She mentions a lot about what she has learned from other people and not only from her own experiences. I could agree with the majority of what Brett wrote although it seems that she contradicts herself slightly from chapter to chapter depending on circumstances.
She writes about the usual stuff. ‘What doesn't kill makes you stronger, follow your dream, appreciate today, make peace with you past, focus on people not things or your job, etc’. Most of the things were just reminders of what I've been told nearly all my life just put into different stories and different words which isn’t bad to be reminded and Brett presents them in a meaningful heartfelt way. However, there were a few things that were new that I appreciated more.
June 29, 2014
this is right out of the book "sometimes when I'm stuck I have to pray for the willingness to pray for the person. it always comes"
seriously - WTF does that mean? to have to pray to be able to pray for someone? what would be the point of any of it? such twisted thinking!!
seriously - WTF does that mean? to have to pray to be able to pray for someone? what would be the point of any of it? such twisted thinking!!
October 9, 2022
Yra lietuviškai "Dievas niekada neužsimerkia". Skaičiau turbūt prieš 10 metų, bet įspūdis liko geras iki šiol: nuoširdi, įtikinanti, jaudinanti autobiografinė knyga, labai atvirai apie klystkelius ir galimybę išgyventi net patekus į didelę bėdą.
March 14, 2010
From my blog...[return]Once I read that a book could not be well reviewed if the review was only a few sentences long, and while this was thought provoking and to some extent I agree, every now and again I am asked to review a book that is so profound, so honest and life changing that the book, even the title, speaks for itself. Such is the case with God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours by Regina Brett. Her debut novel includes 50 Life Lessons she realized she had learned the hard way, as the best lessons are usually learned and Brett views these as life's gifts to her and her gift to her readers. The lessons are short, to the point, honest, witty, and yes, some will require Kleenex, but above all, each lesson is not only universally true, but lessons everyone needs to learn. God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours is an absolute must have for anyone, young or old, religious or not. Sometimes, brevity is the only way to write, as Regina Brett clearly demonstrates in her book, God Never Blinks.
September 14, 2010
My current state of quarter-life crisis has fueled a penchant for self-help books, of which I am unashamed. Haha. This one I grabbed at the library as a quick read (and it is one) and it was surprisingly poignant. Brett provides the reader 50 "lessons," bolstered by stories and anecdotes from her own life. The lessons are all things we've heard before (either from other self-help books or our parents) but my favorites: Lesson 2: When in doubt, just take the next right step; Lesson 11: Make peace with your past so it doesn't screw up the present; Lesson 22: Overprepare, then go with the flow; Lesson 29: What other people think of you is none of your business; Lesson 44: Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you truly need.
As you can see, a good mix of "please stop feeling sorry for yourself" and "the power of positive thinking."
As you can see, a good mix of "please stop feeling sorry for yourself" and "the power of positive thinking."
October 6, 2011
I first heard Regina Brett on NPR about a month ago. She and two other women were discussing differences in teaching your children about faith. It was such a great, calm discussion among women who had such diverse ideas, I decided to read her book even though I am pretty anti-religion of any sort at the moment.
I love the book. While it does talk about God and having a relationship with him/her, it is most a gentle reminder about how we should be living our daily lives. She covers everything from internal dialogue you have with yourself, to faith, to finances, to friendships... I am considering buying a copy for each member of my family this Christmas.
I would recommend this book to my friends, to my family, to strangers.
I love the book. While it does talk about God and having a relationship with him/her, it is most a gentle reminder about how we should be living our daily lives. She covers everything from internal dialogue you have with yourself, to faith, to finances, to friendships... I am considering buying a copy for each member of my family this Christmas.
I would recommend this book to my friends, to my family, to strangers.
June 5, 2019
Antes de que quieras descartar este libro por su posible enfoque religioso, quiero decirte que si le das una oportunidad, podrías llevarte una agradable sorpresa...
A través de Dios nunca parpadea, Regina Brett nos comparte las lecciones de vida que le ayudaron a superar los dolorosos episodios que marcaron su vida, desde una infancia triste, hasta el cáncer de mama.
Reseña completa en deshojandolibros.com
- Romántica de closet
A través de Dios nunca parpadea, Regina Brett nos comparte las lecciones de vida que le ayudaron a superar los dolorosos episodios que marcaron su vida, desde una infancia triste, hasta el cáncer de mama.
Reseña completa en deshojandolibros.com
- Romántica de closet
October 9, 2011
Great book, when i got it from the library I thought it might be a bit boring for me but I was looking for something to help me out. The more I read the more I started to understand why things were happening to me, I'm not a religions person and there is a lot in here but you can read between the lines and get out of it what you want. I now see things a lot clearer and have a much more positive outlook in my life.
February 21, 2022
2,5
zawiodlam sie://
zawiodlam sie://
May 12, 2023
6/5
Najlepsza książka jaką w życiu czytałam!!! <33
Najlepsza książka jaką w życiu czytałam!!! <33
May 3, 2024
przyjemnie bylo mi z nia zaczynac poranki, czasami potrzebujemy odpowiednich slow w odpowiednim czasie, ta ksiazka to takie male swiatelko w pochmurny dzien
August 7, 2024
Розумію, у чому цінність книги, уявляю, кого вона могла б зачепити і надихнути.
Але не моє чтиво.
Надто клаптиково, повчально та набожно. Авторка не лишає простору для роздумів та віднайдення свого власного шляху. Певно, комусь і такі прямолінійні «уроки-поради» можуть стати у нагоді.
Але не моє чтиво.
Надто клаптиково, повчально та набожно. Авторка не лишає простору для роздумів та віднайдення свого власного шляху. Певно, комусь і такі прямолінійні «уроки-поради» можуть стати у нагоді.
February 3, 2013
While perusing the shelves of my local library, my eyes were drawn to this book. Whether it was the orange spine or divine intervention, I was intrigued by the title and added it to my check out stack. God Never Blinks is wonderful and brought to mind Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. Journalist Regina Brett writes with gut-wrenching honesty in this compilation of 50 of her columns. Every one of the "lessons" spoke to me. Even if you've never faced breast cancer as she did, no one escapes this life without battling personal demons. Brett's insights offer practical approaches for dealing with the obstacles that threaten to derail us from a meaningful journey. I plan to add this book to my personal library so I can refer to it again and again.
May 16, 2024
I wish I could give this book 10 stars. It came to my life at the perfect timing, when I hit the crisis and almost had kidney failure.
Every single sentence of this book is lived through by the author herself. Not even one passage is extra or out of place.
If you gave up on your life, have(had) a deadly disease and don't understand what God wants from you in this life, READ IT.
Every single sentence of this book is lived through by the author herself. Not even one passage is extra or out of place.
If you gave up on your life, have(had) a deadly disease and don't understand what God wants from you in this life, READ IT.
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