"Not in your Best Interest"

There have been numerous times where I have heard friends, family, coworkers, and others make the comment, “I would not do it, (referring to some thing, task, or job) if I did not want to.” In fact, in my recent post where I debated about starting to read a new book for review I fought this same battle. I didn’t buy the book; do “I” really want to read it? Are we truly a society that has become so self centered that we will not step outside of ourselves to do things that are in the best interests of others instead of ourselves?

This question hit me smack in the face, like a bucket of cold water, while I read the new book that I am sharing with you today. The reference to cold water is important because it literally woke me up from this complaining, feeling sorry for myself, imitation of a ‘care for others’ life that I tend to believe that I lead. What do I really know about those charities that I safely send money too? Who is the last person that I visited at a hospital or respite home? Do I do things that only “I” feel like doing? Do I reach outside of myself for the best interests of others and gain nothing in return?

Sixty-five Roses by Heather Summerhayes Cariou is an amazing journey. It is a book based on memory and so as we know memory can sometimes lead us to believe things are when perhaps they are not. Therefore, I would call it a close account to fact but much more interesting pulling you into the tiniest of details and letting you live within a set of very personal and powerful shoes. It is an expedition not just a read.

This summer: Accept the challenge! Go buy Sixty-five Roses. Read it from cover to cover with a completely open mind and heart and then accept the test: To do something that is in the best interests of others instead of you. (Come back and share your journey from start to finish with the rest of here).