That which you Manifest is before You

You should shine with all your light all of the time

Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain, (2008)

In simplistic terms The Art of Racing in the Rain is a story told from the perspective of Enzo a Labrador owned by a prospective race car driver (Denny Swift). However, the beauty of the story and the writing is the emotive nature of such an innocent perspective observing the raw trials and tribulations of life. Lessons of compassion, persistence and drive can all be found within this wonderful book. Enmeshed in the racing analogies and metaphors are pertinent life lessons that could put to shame some of the self-help or motivational books that exist in the market – all from Enzo’s perspective.

The book has since been translated to the screen. Having now read the book before and after watching the film I have to say that the book is a much more raw presentation of the roller coaster of life. While the satisfaction of seeing Enzo’s perspective presented on film is positive I believe the truly emotive nature of the story is contained within the pages of the book. Both mediums do though take you through the ups and downs of Denny’s life but the book is much more emphatic in doing so.

The premise of Denny’s racing career is that he is incredibly effective in the rain. This not only informs the title of the book but also so many of the analogies and metaphors.

The art of racing in the rain is looking ahead and being intentional in what you manifest. While others may get scared because of the rain you can retain control and by being in control, manifest what is before you.

“Rain amplifies your mistakes, and water on the track can make your car handle unpredictably. When something unpredictable happens you have to react to it; if you’re reacting at speed, you’re reacting too late.”

As a racing metaphor for life, this is really a message of controlling the controllable. This is part of Denny explaining the line “that which you manifest is before you.” As an often repeated line in the book it returns to this life lesson that being accountable and in control of your own decisions puts you in a position of control regardless of the environment around you.

Further development on this can be seen in Enzo’s perspective that by owning what he manifests he can influence those around him. If you were to be positive in how you undertake tasks or actions you may bring positivity to those around you.

I alone, could manifest a change in that which was around me. By changing my mood, my energy.

One of the benefits of Stein writing from the perspective of a dog is the emphasis on non-verbal communication. The sections describing how Enzo wishes he could speak on the situation, or how his limits of verbal expression allow him to actively listen to others are brilliantly written elements on the complexities of interaction. Many pet owners will likely have wondered what their pet was thinking, or would have said in certain situations, perhaps Stein offers an insight into what this would look like.

Other inspirational and motivational messages often come from this innocent non-human perspective and largely concentrate on how to live your best life. While much of the messages may match with cliched sayings the story, and its different perspective separates them from the traditional sources of inspirational or motivational messages. Taking lessons for life from a dog may not be what you expected from reading a book but The Art of Racing in the Rain provides this opportunity all within an emotive and beautifully crafted story.

To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live…to say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am. I am. That is something to aspire to.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and if you enjoy it then watching the movie is also a fun experience (definitely because of the adorable dog) despite its more watered down story.