I am a random human. In the sporadic way in which I do things. Why? Because I hate routine. Which explains why I never fit into the usual 9 to 5 jobs that begun and ended with meetings.
I’m a nocturnal human who stays up late into the night reading all kinds of books if not jotting down random thoughts on paper about everything that transverses my mind or scouring Netflix for interesting shows on my day off. I’ll otherwise be emotionally holed up in the kitchen wildly exploring recipes over good old Hip Hop, Deep Progressive, Electro and Future House Music. Other times I take videos of myself going on and on about the usual nonsensical stuff only to end up deleting even the finer ones worth sharing. Because I’m my own worst critic. Those that know me well call me weird. I live it. And love it.
I took a break at work one morning and during that time, took a stroll to the Duty Free airport bookshop to pass time as I window shopped for my next read. That is when I came across this book.
At first, I flexed my curiously hungry jaw as I picked her up. Then put her back neatly on the pile next to the other neatly arranged books and made two steps to the next row.
Something inside me nudged my feet back to pick the lady I last held and I did not hesitate. I have learnt to trust my gut because for some strange reason because my past experiences ignoring it have always landed me in trouble. My fingers excitedly fumbled and picked her up again, I dug a little into the foreword.
In some parts of the world where I come from, this kind of shopping can literally get you kicked out without notice. Because they let you stay and shop on, if you are a serious buyer. To avoid wasting so much of their time asking about prices then end up walking out with nothing. Thankfully, this was not the case here, I thought. Plus I had all the time before break time was over.
I never let this furiously happy lady off my hand. I briskly strolled on, feeding my eyes on other read-worthy titles across counters. Walking past serious looking individuals taking-a-quick peep at books if not indulged in between pages. I smiled. Such a quiet, little, peaceful world of readers. I desired to get lost in there forever. A dream.
As time slowly wound up, I still could not find the guys to put Jenny Lawson down. Sensing an urgent need to make an impulse purchase, I decided to go for it. I did not regret.
This is one book whose foreword has you gripped from the get go. You will experience every emotion imaginable; sadness, anger, relief, laughter, you name it.
Jenny Lawson tells a personally touching story of living with depression beautifully, using relatable situations you will find yourself bursting out loud as they take you down memory lane. Her way of slapping jokes into seriously sad situations and your tears are instantly turned into joy. I thought my inner being would explode into one big ball of happy colors.
For those that have gone down depression path, it will almost feel like in some way, she’s telling your story. This book re-ignited my love for books and writing after so many years of dealing with a writer’s block. I have read and re-read her countless times and cannot remember how many times I have broken into laughter when the memory of an excerpt from one of the funny lines she’s quoted comes to mind.
Furiously Happy, a funny book about horrible things, will keep you smiling all the way and give you hope that depression is not the end of the world. You can overcome it. Even when you’re done reading her, the memory stays with you.
I recommend this book to not just anyone who has had to deal with depression, but everyone that imagines the world is a difficult place to live. To be. Or that your life is hard enough. Because it is never really that serious so do not die trying. We are all going to die anyway so what’s the huff? Live tomorrow today and make every second memorable.
So, grab your copy now and read, laugh, learn and live.
Stop. Go. Experience Life 