As I was reading Donald Millers’ book, Through Painted Desserts, in conjunction with some of the book reviews on marketing, business and the like it reminded me that while business is good and great at times that it is still only a part of life and not life itself. As a line from Fight Club goes, “You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet.” And I think that’s what Don was figuring out in discovering Light, God, Beauty and the Open Road.

Premise: Don sets out on a road trip with his friend Paul, originating in Houston, swinging by the Grand Canyon, wrapping up in Oregon and hitting whatever comes their way in between. They have a limited budget with no real time frame and a VW hippie bus that is both a blessing and a curse.

Good: Don’s narrative is great. He captures scenes in simplicity and in prose and writes smooth yet communicates something more than surface. His stories are often humorous (in a “I can see myself doing that” sort of way) whether sneaking onto a course for some night golf or jousting a friend about relationship issues. This book makes you want to adventure off on a road trip or hop a train even… some type of getaway that is not all planned out… something that would help to appreciate friends, strangers, conversations, and the wonder of life more.

Bad: There are a few slow points in the book and I was hoping for more direct God talk like Searching for God knows What. However, the only real negative was that, just like road trips, books end even if you don’t want them to.

Irony: Don mentions we tend to live vicariously though other people’s books and stories but never really go out and live life ourselves.

Fragment: “You know,” Paul begins, “it’s funny. Two weeks ago when we talked about things we wanted or our aspirations, we would have talked about houses or boats or cars. Now that we’ve been on the road for a while, everything is reduced to a bowl of cereal.” Paul develops a smile… “Isn’t that just beautiful? Cereal. There are people in this world who are killing themselves because they want more and more of nothing. And the only thing you and I want in this world is a bowl of cereal. That just shows you how the things we think are important really aren’t important.” (Page 123)

Business will flourish and profit more as individuals take a closer look at the world around them and not only discover what’s important but also discover their identity. Then we won’t be at a job just because we have a degree in this or to make money from that, but because we understand the things that make us come alive and can incorporate those into the market. Some have found this, or at least want to believe they have, while others are hopefully still discovering.

Rating: 8/10