Acceptance is an important type of choice. Morrie is describing a moment where he felt that he was actually dying and how he felt unbelievably peaceful when he accepted what was going on. He made the choice to accept rather than to fight, which would have made him anxious and afraid.

Mitch asks Morrie to describe his idea of the perfect day, and he answers by detailing a totally normal day at home with his family. At first Mitch doesn't understand why he'd pick such a normal day if he could choose anything, but here's the secret: Morrie has realized that the truest happiness lies in the little things around him.

There's something permanent about what we do here on earth. Our good actions can live forever, in the way that an eternal soul can. Our memory also lives on, in those lives that we touch while we are living.

Here, the topic of spirituality is listed as a set of priorities. Maybe Morrie is saying that although he values spirituality, he puts it on the same level as other things, like being mindful of the world around us.

This little anecdote that Morrie and Mitch are sharing isn't explicitly spiritual, but it has spiritual connotations. Just like waves that are part of the great big ocean, the story is suggesting that we're all part of something bigger than ourselves.

Here's a comment about the nitty gritty aspect of being alive: our bodies. Part of the wild truth about living and dying is that, aside from our minds and hearts, which are able to change so much in the world, we have these flimsy bodies that eventually wear out and die on us.

Morrie defines compassion as caring about other people just as much as you'd care about yourself. This is totally different from doing business, where you try to get the most out of the situation for your own benefit. The sad thing is that most people live their lives like they're working at a job, trying to gain something from others rather than giving selflessly.