John E. Budzinski
“They may be nothing special, just stories, but good stories are good stories, especially when they can help others remember theirs.”Imagine this. You are relaxing when–a pounding on the door rattles you out of your chair. You rush to the door, heart pounding. Opening the door, you break out into a cold sweat and your heart stops. You are face-to-face with the Grim Reaper.She hands you paper and pen. “Here you go, buddy.”“What’s this for?”The annoyed Reaper looks at you. “Don’t you get it?”“Everybody has to die once. Your once is now! Write your last words. What goes on your gravestone? Write your obituary. Come on, your time’s up.”What do you write? Which of your life’s stories should you tell? Does little league matter? How about being an altar boy, or being called a racist in college? Should you mention when your father died when you were eight? Does your first crush matter? How about walking through a cemetery with your best friend after curfew? What about the neighborhood?What leads your obituary? What is your life’s exclamation point, the epitaph chiseled on your gravestone? Does any of it matter? I mean, they are just stories, right? Who cares? After all, wasn’t it Nothing Special, Just A Life?In Nothing Special, Just A Life, John E. Budzinski hits on a theme rarely found in traditional literature. Yes, he describes events and tells more than his share of stories, though he does more. He intertwines commentary and opinion in the mix.It is easy to tell stories, and many writers do, many in ways that engage readers so they can relate. The most unexpected and refreshing part of his book is, he asks questions of the reader, then pauses and waits for the answers. He has a conversation with you. In Nothing Special, Budzinski tells stories but then asks you the reader, what do you think? It is like he is sitting next to you poking you in the side waiting for a reply, waiting for one more round of drinks. You may find yourself talking to yourself, or pausing to text or call a friend after reading one of the stories.None of the stories is that special or that remarkable. In many ways, they are standard fare, the same old stuff we heard before. That is the point! We all live rather similar and straightforward lives. It is his commentary and the questions he asks that connects readers. We are in this together.Nothing Special was inspired in part by a story in an April 1972 New York Times Magazine written by Joyce Maynard called, “An 18-Year-Old Looks Back On Life.” The feel of that story is apparent in the book, though, any further connection ends there. It is impossible to look back at 60+ years of living and condense it all into stories of relatable meaning and significance in a couple hundred pages. There is no explanation to why anything shows up–Just like your life. Why did anything show up there? You cannot answer that, not does Budzinski try.Nothing Special, Just A Life is a book of questions, but also a book of stories. Stories drive the book. They’re just simple stories looking back at moments in a life, seeking to find special in the ordinary; Searching for the exclamation point chiseled into your gravestone and the headline driving your obituary; Flipping through pages of Just A Life.Yes, it is Nothing Special, Just A Life, filled with stories. But, good stories are good stories, especially if they help others remember their stories.Was it all Nothing Special, Just A Life–or was there more?
