The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

by Mitch Albom

to grab his keys. He remembered that his truck was low on gas, and knowing it would be hard to find a station open at this hour, he grabbed the keys to his wife’s car instead, a small, boxy vehicle with a tire low on air. He left the house without locking the door and glanced up at the clouds, which laced the moon in gray. Had he taken the truck, this story would be different. Had Annie and Paulo not stopped for a final round of photographs, this story would be different. Had the limousine driver remembered to bring a bag that was sitting by his apartment door, this story would be different. The tale of your life is written

Had he, had he, had he...I love the repetition in this writing because it mimics life. Too often our own minds hold us captive, creating worry and weaving worry-stories and regret-filled stories and what-if stories and had-I-only stories. And...that's o.k., for a while, but we've got to learn to let. it. go. (Side note: I will be using this model and structure as a starting point for students to explore their own thinking through writing.)