Me by Ricky Martin

                My mom holds a belief that certain books come her way when she needs them most.  Some give her ideas while others have words of wisdom.  I have experienced this as well, but not to the same extent.  Then I came upon Ricky Martin’s book.  Me took me by surprise.  When I picked it up from the library I did not expect that it would be so philosophical.  It was just what I needed.

                Throughout the book Mr. Martin talks about how things come when they are supposed to.  He also emphasizes that what we go through in life makes us who we are.  As someone determined and anxious to get myself to where I want to be, this hit me hard.  Through all the road blocks I have run into, these thoughts have always been in the back in my mind.  To have them reaffirmed made me more confident that my mindset is on the correct path.

                While the above discussion is worth reading the book on its own, Mr. Martin’s life story is also fascinating.  I knew he was young when he started with Menudo, but I did not realize how young!  The book goes through Mr. Martin’s crazy life on the road and his inability to say no to anything.  No matter what anyone asked him to do, he said, “Yes.”  That must have been absolutely exhausting.  Thankfully he eventually got out of that pattern.  This is where another surprise for me came in.

                I never knew Mr. Martin was such a humanitarian.  His travels to India were interesting to read about and his work with human trafficking is truly admirable.  Then he told about his efforts in Thailand after the tsunami.  These are just a few of the things he does.  He is really trying to make a difference in the world.        

                Not long ago Mr. Martin made a big change in his own life.  He became a father to two little boys.  With the role of father, Mr. Martin has added another dimension to who he is.