Book Review: Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me: Stories of Healing and Wisdom Along Life’s Journey

• Author: Kim S. Kjaersgaard
• Published date: 01 December 2006
• Date: 01 December 2006
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016806295606
• Subject Matter: Articles

Although most of these cases are well known to the public and to true crime aficiona-

dos, the immense explosion in the popularity of forensic science in recent years will ensure

that this reanalysis of nine cases and the careful explanation of the related pathological

details will make this book very popular with forensic science fans.

Gail S. Anderson

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia

Hablitzel, W. E. (2006). Dying Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me: Stories of

Healing and Wisdom Along Life’s Journey. Austin, TX: Sunshine Ridge.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806295606

It is a well-known fact that death teaches us about life. So it is not surprising that a physi-

cian, whose livelihood involves literally life and death issues on a daily basis, has gleaned

insights regarding living. What is surprising, however, is that the physician and author of

this book, Dr. William Hablitzel, did not become jaded to the harsh realities of his medical

profession. Not only did he pay attention to what his patients were saying in between the

white blood cell counts and various lab results, but he actually reflected on what he heard.

Through his years as a physician and teacher, he began to see patterns, and from those years

of insight offers bits of wisdom that he believes lead to a more meaningful life. In the tra-

dition of a good teacher, he presents these bits of wisdom through true stories about his

patients and medical students and shows how they can be incorporated into anyone’s life.

Woven through the stories is an existential philosophy of life that focuses on two main

relationships: one with time and the other with people. Hablitzel posits that people have a

distorted relationship with time by clinging to past hurts and by being too preoccupied with

the future. The stories reflect that for life to be meaningful, people need to forgive (let go of

the past) and be mindful of the present moment (accept the uncertainty of the future). From

this perspective, the current moment becomes extraordinarily special with possibility.

From distorted relationships with time flows a malady of being disconnected from

humanity. Hablitzel argues that too often people are task oriented, thus missing opportuni-

ties to connect on a more meaningful level with other people. A bit of wisdom that is repeat-

edly stressed throughout the book is that we need others. And we need real connections with

other people to make our lives meaningful. Hablitzel believes that the key to transforming

our own lives is through our interpersonal connections, and the catalyst for growth can

sometimes come from the most unlikely person. Hence, we need to be open to all people.

That means giving more deeply of ourselves in the process of daily interactions (i.e., giving

time, truly listening, and truly caring about the welfare of others who cross our paths).

The stories also touch on other character qualities and attitudes that help to create a more

positive and meaningful life. All of these pieces of wisdom fit together to encourage us to

live more fully as human beings. The invisible glue that ties all of these pieces together is

a wonderment of life (life is always full of lessons).

Each chapter is organized around a particular person who offered specific life lessons.

At the beginning of each chapter, one or two quotations hint at the wisdom to come (a good

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