I recently finished the sequel to NYT best-seller, Three Cups of Tea. I was not disappointed. Reading Greg Mortenson's newest book, Stones Into Schools is like spending time with an old friend–laughing and crying and smiling all in the course of a few minutes.  You are reluctant to leave. In fact, you find excuses not to leave. Time flies by. The book is just over 400 pages and I read it in less than a week, in my spare time. 

Even though I've heard Mortenson speak live and I've blogged about his first book, this sequel highlights Mortenson's love of humanity, of seeing the ordinary and extraordinary in humble human beings. You can feel the respect and love in his description of the "Dirty Dozen," the unorthodox on-the-ground staff in Pakistan and Afghanistan for his non-profit, Central Asia Institute. If there ever was a common man's man, Mortenson is it. 

While reading the book, I was gratefully aware of the educational opportunities that we take for granted. I also realized how much of our Western lifestyle is far beyond what is needed for a meaningful and satisfying existence.

The two most powerful lessons that I took away:

• "When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it's amazing what you can learn." This is a quote from the book. Listening is one of the most powerful skills we can possess and one of the most under-used and under-rated.

• Empowerment is about doing less for others, so that they might do more for themselves. That's me talking, not Mortenson, but I think he would heartily agree. The book ends with this point. It's a lovely way to end.

There are plenty of other lessons in the book. Curl up this weekend on a soft couch, and make time to visit this old friend.

To get a glimpse of Greg Mortenson, watch an interview by Bill Moyers. He concludes with the same main point from Stones Into Schools: We need to listen more.