In which I justify quitting my job and traveling great distances

Last Friday evening I picked up Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. When I put it down on Sunday afternoon, I was finished. The title is intriguing, sure, but for me it the book was so much more than what the title implied. Which is weird, since the title includes the words "million" and "thousand." But whatever.

You should really read this book if you feel like you need a bit of a jump-start, but here's the gist of it: Our lives are stories, and to some degree—a greater degree than most of us admit—we can write whatever we want. And, at the end of things, do we want our stories to be about the pursuit of the big house and the expensive car, or something else? (I should note that Miller frames his book in terms of faith, but in a highly general sense. His writing doesn't smack of religiosity.)

I decided to go the "something else" route. I quit my job to replace work with dance parties and playing at the park and writing things. I also decided to hike a 70+ mile ancient wall on another continent with people I've never met, an event taking place six months after quitting my job. And just last week, I almost went grocery shopping at 9 p.m. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER.

This book reminded me that taking risks (ones like quitting a job or traveling, I'm not talking about starting my own drug cartel or anything) will yield a better story (although there are a lot of Hollywood types who think drug cartels make good stories).

There are bloggers out there who have inspired me to live a better story—ladies like Sarah Von of Yes and Yes, and Not That Kind of Girl—but this is the first book I've come across that captures the spirit of living an adventurous, meaningful life without sounding preachy. Read it. For real.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com. My opinion of a book is based solely on the book's impressiveness or suckiness, and is in no way affected by its freeness. My opinion can't be bought...for anything less than six figures, at least.