It’s funny how synchronicity works. Yesterday, I wrote about transformation and the Bliss Mistress. Today, the book that jumps out at me is The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis. The subtitle is: thirteen women and the experiment that transformed their lives. I turned the book over and on the back is Hershey’s Bliss. Transformation and bliss and chocolate. Seems to be a theme, lately.
This was one of the first non-self-help-self-help books I ever read… oh, about ten years ago. I remember finishing it and feeling… like… wow… this really happened. How cool, I thought. Later that day, I wrote to 20 women I know well… and told them they must read it. Okay, yeah, so books excite me. (Duh. As if you couldn’t tell, eh?) Good stories excite me more. This was a very good story. I loved it!
Here’s the thing.
I was eager… hungry… for what this book was serving up. It spoke of relationships between women, consumerism, socialism, and forced me to look at the question: When is enough… enough?
Those things are important… vital… and need to be discussed, hashed over, and pulled apart. And yes, these kinds of conversations can be sparked by a book about a diamond necklace.
But…
It scratches the surface. It’s a bit… oh, I don’t know. Shallow?
I was a novice… a youngster… in this self-help game… back when I was 49?
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the book. There certainly is NOT. It’s well-written, conversational and engaging. It was a NY Times Bestseller, for crying out loud! Jarvis is no slouch herself. Then, why do I have this niggly sensation of embarrassment at loving this book so much?
And, so… I sat down to skim through it again, before writing today.
I found myself looking through the book… and then inward at my reflection…
It is a compelling story about diverse women sharing something of great worth… but finding that true worth lies within.
The very notion that I would think I’m “above that now” is the antithesis of what this book is teaching. Talk about a reality check!
It gave me what I needed at the time.
There is no embarrassment in that.
If that is where you are… or you just like a darned good story that just so happens to be true… read this book.
Originally written by me for this blog onMay 23, 2018
The Self-Help Whisperer® 