‘Just Live’.
Simple, and yet so powerful. It takes excellent writing to say so much in so few words. Louisa Clark – an ordinary young woman with a love for eccentric clothing – becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor; a quadriplegic, who has, naturally, lost his zest for life.
JoJo Moyes’ novel Me Before You forces us to confront the fleeting nature of life. It forces you to be grateful for simple, seemingly ordinary moments. Will reminds us to relish the simple beauty of living. To seize the essence of living in its simplest, most unadulterated form, while pushing our boundaries to do so much more.
Louisa’s eccentric clothing is a clear desire to break free from societal norms, but she’s stuck in that all-too-common rut. She’s not moving forwards. We get stuck in our routines, expectations, pressures, pre-conditions. We forget to appreciate that we’re actually alive. We lose sight of the splendour, and live in our fear without going beyond what we know. Without going beyond what we think we know. Without going beyond what we think we should be.
We don’t believe we can be extraordinary, so we never act on it. Will recognises Louisa capacity to be extraordinary. He doesn’t demand that she follow in his footsteps and pursue a high-powered career like his own. Instead, he challenges her to question her journey thus far, to break free from the chains of routine and familiarity, and to reach for the extraordinary. He challenges her to confront her life and question her journey. He’s asking her to just live.
Her ability to shine in not-so-sparkling moments and to infuse even the most mundane situations with positivity and warmth, is her extraordinary power. She can make people fall in love with themselves and help them appreciate the beauty in their own existence.
So extraordinary isn’t about major accomplishments but about finding and recognising your unique strengths and passions; using them to enhance the lives of others.
It’s about embracing our own version of the extraordinary. That often means breaking away from the safety of routine, confronting the challenges that hold us back, and giving ourselves permission to live. Fully.
© Lindsay Dowling 2023-09-18