To Live is a Grand Thing, Agatha Christie Knew This

Agatha Christie lived a life that had its hardships.  Her mother did not want her to learn to read until she was 8 so Agatha taught herself how to read earlier.  Her father was an American who married her English mother. He died when Agatha was young leaving her and her mother to struggle financially. It is the thought that because of this she has "greed" as the central reason for most murders in her novels.

She worked in a pharmacy while caring for soldiers during WWI.  Her husband had gone to war the morning after their wedding night and Agatha wanted to stay busy by helping as a nurse.  It is believed that her experience in the pharmacy is also why in her novels she uses poisons may times to kill her victim.

She has suffered a failed marriage due to her first husband wandering eye and lost her mother the same year. This caused her to have what some believe was a minor emotional breakdown when she drove off one day and disappeared for ten days. The entire town was looking for her and the local newspaper encouraged all to engage in the hunt to find the missing novelist. When she was found she had a diagnosis of amnesia as she could not recall how she got to the hotel she was found in or when she arrived.  She was also registered under the name of the woman her husband was leaving her for. The famous mystery writer now was a living mystery herself.

She married again later to an archeologist and found many years of happiness and writing.  Through it all she was known to be thankful always and happy to be alive.  Living was a wonderful thing and as she got older she wanted to live as long as possible for she thought to live was fun.

Once she was asked what she considered was a great day.  She simply answered, "A great day is to wake up and see the sun was up and I have the great joy to live another day.  To look forward to a cup of coffee, a good breakfast is reason enough to want to live."

She seemed to have discovered what every sage teaches, 'The power of now,' just being alive is the most wonderful thing. How do I get there?  Breathe in nature, walk in the woods away from people, commune with free animals roaming outside, enjoy a flock of geese on the water, and just breathe, thankful the sun came up again.  Thankful always thankful.  A key I find in every successful life.