No Cure for Being Human is an excellent read. It is a tear jerker, it is funny, it is reflective, it is challenging and it is ever so realistic. Once I started reading it, I was totally hooked. I could not put it down. While it deals with the really serious matter of a terminal illness, is funny and ever so alive. Kate’s words- ‘ I have so much work to get done’ as she travels through her illness is an indication of her courage and determination to be well. Yet she admits that what keeps her going are her family, her friends and her community. Throughout the book we are reminded of cliches we hear and the truths we need. Pain is described as a narrow gate and there is a lens on the new economy of scarcity that skips arguments.
Kate is reminded that her best work is yet to come. In her own words she says she ‘never felt more alive, more determined, never felt more determined, never knew what really matters, than when she learnt to live each day’. She was able to honour the promise to those who had gone before by living with a feeling of purpose, leaving room for growth and living her life with courage. We are often trapped between a past we can’t return to and a future that is uncertain. It takes guts to live in this place and look forward without hedging our bets too much, living in the space between anticipation and realisation. We are never done, even when we’re done. As life is unpredictable, we learn to face uncertainty with courage, toggling between the past, the present and the future. Facing the past is part of facing the future. . We learn about people who have learned from difficult times and we come to understand why it is so hard to speak frankly about suffering. A book of hope and fortitude this is a must read.