“…….the eulogy is a speech given by one of the departed’s loved one to honour the end of their life……
If we were all tasked with writing our own eulogy, I pondered, right now – no matter how young, vibrant and healthy we were – could that eulogy serve as a mission statement for how we want to live our life and what we choose to value?”
This is the undertaking of author Bradley Dryburgh in his book subtitled, The art of appreciating your own life. This book is a love story, not just romance in finding a soul mate, but the love of family, of friendships and the epic experience of being alive.
From the first page of the book I was drawn in, feeling the layers of feelings and thoughtfulness that Bradley Dryburgh’s journey explores. It is the paradox of life that positions death with life, loss with appreciation, and aloneness with intimate connection.
Not only is this book a journey of the wisdom that Bradley discovered in his life with Cystic Fibrosis, a lifelong life-threatening disorder, but the story telling breathes like a sun’s rays at dawn. It beckons the reader to feel deeply the agony of hospital experience whilst discovering the power of optimism. In this book the secret power of optimism and its impact on the mind and body is realised and shared. Bradley shows us through his life’s experiences. how finding meaning is not merely a personal mindset but a life living endeavour. Bradley’s life journey and the choices he and his family make, bring the reader to moral clarity. I kept thinking whilst reading the book, that I wish it was in the airport, a perfect place where one is looking for a book to share on a holiday. It is on holidays, that we are transported to a different reality and that is what Bardley Dryburgh has crafted.
You may shed a tear, and feel the joy of reaching lofty goals, and you will certainly be left with the power of optimism. The muscle of optimism needs to be practiced, to be exercised, and to be put to the reality test. Go for it, I too have seen in my own life the power of positivity in mind and practice, despite the circumstances that may call for a dismal future. This is a good book, not just well written but good as a moral compass guide for living.
Review by Michelle Brenner August 2026
