Book Recommendation

So a few posts ago, I mentioned that I was working on reading a couple of books. Well, I finally finished one of them, I had gotten a bit distracted by the World Cup. Yesterday, I finished Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie.

It was one of those books that I had thought to read for a long time, but had just never gotten around to it. I'm actually really glad that I waited, because when I bought it and received it, I was really excited and ready to read it. It was no longer a book that people had been merely recommending, it was a book that I wanted to read. I needed it.

People always say that a certain book changed their life, and they say it for a variety of reasons. Perhaps that book opened their eyes to reading, a certain style of writing or genre, to politics, or to how they saw the world. This book changed how I, not only see the world, but how I see myself. There are finally reasons for the way I do certain things and even reasons for why I think the way I do. Those reasons aren't necessarily pretty; I admit I got a little depressed when I read the characteristics of a codependent and realized how many applied to me. What is pretty about those reasons that I do certain things, and the book itself, is that there are practical solutions. I have a lot to work on, but who doesn't?

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if you don't think you have a problem with codependency, you should still read it. I think we all have at least a touch of codependency in us.

Concert

Last night, Ashton and I had the opportunity to go to a James Taylor and Carole King concert with his company. We ate dinner with his company. I got to meet a lot of the people that he works with, obviously, and talks about. It's nice to put names to faces. After dinner, which was in the Pepsi Center, the same place as the concert, we went into the concert.

I can't say that I knew who James Taylor or Carole King were before this concert. Ashton didn't either, so that made me feel better. We had gotten a CD of some of their songs with the invite to attend the concert from his company, but we didn't listen to it. I figured that if I didn't like the music, I didn't want to know until I got there. So, I was surprised when I started hearing their songs how many I recognized and could sing along to. Ashton knew a few as well. That made the experience all the better.

The performance was also amazing. For being as old as they are, they were doing a whole lot of jumping, kicking, and dancing. It was entertaining to watch to say the least. It was also fun to watch other people really get into the songs.

So although we stayed up way late and today we're suffering from that, we had a good time!