May the Force Be With Me: Lessons Learned from Living Life Like a Jedi (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798247802686)

What if the key to a calmer mind and a healthier life was hidden in a galaxy far, far away?

Mike Curtis didn't expect to end up in the hospital over a racing heartbeat and a gnawing sense of dread, but there he was-wired to machines, wide awake, and wondering if WebMD was trying to kill him. After four days of palpitations, no sleep, and enough anxiety to fuel a Death Star, the doctor gave him a shocking diagnosis: stress.

"Stress? I don't have any stress!"
He didn't feel stressed... until he realized he felt nothing but stress. Cue the pounding headache, churning stomach, and intrusive thoughts doing cartwheels through his brain.

Then he saw it: his old Star Wars t-shirt folded by the window. And like any reasonable person on the edge of an existential crisis, Mike thought, Maybe the Jedi can fix this.

So began a ridiculous-and surprisingly meaningful-mission: rewatch every Star Wars movie, show, and cartoon in order, searching for ancient wisdom, spiritual insight, and maybe a few lightsaber-based life hacks. After all, George Lucas built that galaxy far, far away on the philosophies of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and Joseph Campbell's mythic mumbo jumbo. There had to be something in there worth learning-something to help Mike heal.

May the Force Be With Me is part memoir, part spiritual scavenger hunt, and part love letter to Star Wars. It's funny, honest, occasionally nerdy, and unexpectedly insightful-a guide for anyone trying to find peace without giving up their popcorn.