Review: The Bright Hour

I started this book as I was waiting nervously to give blood. I have the universal blood type so I strongly feel that it is my duty to donate blood - but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was nervous every time and wishing that I was doing anything else. Without a doubt, even reading the first few pages put things in perspective.

Nina Riggs was dying of breast cancer when she wrote The Bright Hour. She talked about how it was for her to progress through the disease (doctor's appointments, talking to her young children, consulting with a lawyer for her will, and even the struggles of having sex with her husband while possible) as well as her experience dealing with her mom's progression and ultimate demise from the same cancer. It was definitely a sobering read. I finished this book feeling reinvigorated about life.

As I say that, I also struggle with that thought. For the most part, my family lives to at least their mid-90's. I expect nothing less for myself. How is it that some people don't have the same fortune? Nina Riggs died when she was at the ripe age of 39. I am only 10 years away from that age. I can't imagine saying that my mid-life occurred when I was 19. I hadn't even started to live life at 19. With that being said, towards the end of her life, she seemed to be reconciled with the fact that it was inevitable that she was going to die from breast cancer and that there was nothing that she could do. She had a sense of humor that only those with a limited time on this earth could have. She appreciated the little moments in life that far too often many of us take for granted - like feeling the breeze in our hair. Furthermore, she lived her last days on her terms unapologetically.

If I was to die early, I would hope that I had a legacy to pass on like Riggs. Although she is not physically here with us anymore, she does live on through her book. You can feel the presence of her life through her words. I didn't personally know her, but I felt close to her as I read her dying words. Reading her book was the bright hour in my day as I refocused on what life is truly about.

Until we read again...