Life Goes On

John E. Budzinski’s Life Goes On is a comical approach at one man’s thought process into deciphering the phrase most of us know all too well, “This Is Going On Your PERMANENT RECORD!” Where is this permanent record and who is keeping track of it? In this book, Budzinski has a serious (okay, not so serious) talk with Saint Peter as they discuss everything from bad bosses to what is fair and unfair to how John treated those around him. They also discuss what creating a legacy entails and how to go about doing that for oneself.

The book is really Budzinski’s life story divided into little stories most of which have some kind of moral at the end. And somewhere in all those stories, he tries to figure out what his legacy is. Each story is very philosophical and asks the reader questions of him or herself such as “What were your favorite or your most significant learning times?” and “What are you afraid of?”

Along the way, we learn of some really funny things that have happened to John. One of the best stories in the book is when John is the first kid to bomb out in the spelling bee. This is mainly because his last name starts with a “B” and so he was at the front of the line. Readers can feel the anticipation as John looks around trying to find a way out of this voluntary task. The fact that he became a writer is what makes this story even better and he even states that “Bad spelling caused me some personal embarrassment over the years and a few challenging times with editors.”

The dialogue with Saint Peter was a way for Budzinski’s audience to really get into his head. The bantering back and forth with Saint Peter really brings up questions that dig even deeper into the most embarrassing moments of this poor man. For example, Peter asks, “Why did you leave the spelling bee before its completion?”. And it finally comes out that it was because John knew he sucked at spelling and that it was frustration. And then he tells Peter to look it up on his permanent record!

The stories of friends and family that Budzinski has written about are truly treasures. In fact, I would compare Life Goes On to your favorite grandpa telling you stories about what he did wrong throughout his life and telling you to do better than he did. Readers are in for a laugh, a lesson, and a legacy in Life Goes On.