Uplifting-ness

Do you ever just need something to lift your spirits? I do. Actually, it's become a minor mission of mine to sort through the media out there and find the movies, the books, the websites, the essays that uplift and sustain.

Maybe you're ill and stuck inside all day, staring at the wall again as thoughts float past. Meditation is one approach, a very good one. Crafts are another outlet, but they take energy. During my times of illness, though, there has always come the point when I need a distraction, a message of hope. Stimulation of a positive nature.

Maybe you're going through a rough personal relationship. A breakup, a fight, or a time of little communication that leaves you confused. Sometimes you need to turn to a different world or hear of another's experience that turned out okay.

Maybe you're just bored or a little down after an exhausting day. Enter the uplifting material out there. It's harder to find than I would have expected before I started seeking it out specifically. The definition of "uplifting" isn't saccharine--we're not talking about cream puff happiness here, the type that fades as soon as you've experienced it, giving you a sugar crash soon after. It can be silly, downright stupid, intelligent, thoughtful, serious, or outlandish. Just as long as it leaves you feeling good about life.

Taste, of course, varies. When I Googled "uplifting," the first hit was the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition: "to improve the spiritual, social, or intellectual condition of." We're all so different in our experiences of life, so let's just lay it out now that we won't always agree about my picks, and that's okay. I just want this to be a fun place to share my latest discoveries, whether oldies unearthed or more recent fare.

Here's where I'll begin: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, one I finished last night. The last time I was at the library, I wandered over to the young adult section. That's where I found this. I often find these novels more honest and real than some of the adult fiction out there. You're often grabbed right from the beginning, and that was certainly true with this book. Jeremy Fink narrates the tale of his journey with his best friend, Lizzy, to uncover the keys to a box his father left him. Engraved with "The Meaning of Life" and the mandate to open on his thirteenth birthday, the box's arrival in Jeremy and Lizzy's life throws them into wholehearted search for a way to open it. Still processing the death of his father about five years earlier, Jeremy soon finds himself deeply questioning life's meaning as he begins to wonder if he'll ever see the box's contents.

I truly enjoyed this one. It was fun and honest. The friendship between Jeremy and Lizzy is quirky, as is that between Jeremy and his mother. Unexpected events and discoveries keep it fresh until the end.

Thanks for reading. If anyone is reading this, I welcome your suggestions for uplifting material out there!