THE PRIORITY LIST: A TEACHER'S FINAL QUEST TO DISCOVER LIFE'S GREATEST LESSONS (David Menasche)

This beautiful, inspirational memoir should be on everyone's "to read" list.  It WILL change your way of thinking about life and what it should mean.  I promise!

David Menasche, a devoted husband and gifted teacher, was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 34 and made the decision to live the fullest, most meaningful life possible in the time he had left.  As a high school teacher, he had effectively incorporated life lessons into studies of literature, earning the unconditional love and respect of his students. The "spiral"  was the initial means by which he described the stages of life and eventual goals to his students.  The beginning of the spiral is birth and infancy, when we are focused completely on our own needs and feelings.  The end of the spiral, the goal of living, is "when you can empathize with others and act with true respect and kindness because to be here is to care more about others than you care about yourself."  From this concept evolved the "priority list," a list of words such as wealth, respect, privacy, security and love, words that can be prioritized and rearranged as we journey through life.  Originally the words were used in Menasche's classes to analyze characters in literature, but students were also asked to apply them to their own lives and goals in order to better understand themselves and their motivations.  It obviously worked.

Six years after being diagnosed, partially blind and partially crippled on his left side, Menasche was finally forced to give up teaching, but he used this disappointment an opportunity to travel the country visiting former students and friends who welcomed him with joy and open arms.  This book is a testament to the idea that life is constantly evolving and changing and that "obstacles" can make the journey more challenging, but not impossible.  This is not a memoir about dying, but about life and how far empathy and kindness can go towards making all of the difference in a life.  David Menasche is still alive today and settled in New Orleans.  He is also on Facebook.  Friend him and follow him as he continues his journey through life.  H is truly a person who sees the joy in living and loving.  We can learn a lot from his outlook.