the truth hammer

while lenting the intertubes, i found i had a lot more time for reading... go figure! :) i have more books currently "on the go" than usual, and for whatever reason - the quality of the books, or the quality of my brain offline - they have really been connecting with me. so many pages are already dogeared and scrawled on that they look like old favorites!

the one that is currently captivating me is a little 107 page book with possibly the worst title ever: "the gift of being yourself". in fact, i almost didn't even read it because the title was so ... cheesy! but, boy - i would have missed out on one of the most completely "on-the-nose" things i've ever read. take these snippets:

"We all live searching for that one possible way of being that carries with it the gift of authenticity... Simple being is tremendously difficult to achieve, and fully authentic being is extremely rare."

"To truly know love, we must receive it in an undefended state..."

"The problem with the false self is that it works."

"While other people's excessive attachments & personal falsity often seem glaringly apparent, it is never easy to know the lies of our own life."

and this cobbled together paragraph - on acknowledgement of our worst selves:

"(Parts) of self that are not given a place at the 'family table' become stronger, not weaker. Operating out of sight & beyond awareness, they have increasing influence over our behavior. ... Self-transformation is always preceded by self-acceptance...Until we are willing to accept the unpleasant truths of our existence, we rationalize or deny responsibility for our behavior. ... You can never be other than who you are until you are willing to embrace the reality of who you are."

i am digging this book. seriously. i think you should probably get a copy.