Daily Inspiration: Haruki Murakami on Missed Chances
Haruki Murakami, author of “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,” “Norwegian Wood,” “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World,” and many others, has a knack for encapsulating –in beautiful words — a human being’s spiritual struggle with the forces around him.
In his novel, “Kafka on the Shore,” (my personal favorite of his) Murakami explores the metaphysical relationship between a 15 year-old boy in search of lost family members and an old man on a road trip.
I think the following inspiring excerpt from that story could greatly benefit those of us who feel as if the moments, opportunities, and chances that have seemingly passed us by are gone forever. According to Murakammi — through his character Kafka — sometimes missed chances are exactly what we need.
"Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That’s part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads – at least that’s where I imagine it – there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in awhile, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you’ll live forever in your own private library."
"Kafka on the Shore #1 by butchart
