The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements is a book I want my son to read one day. The subtitle for the book is "A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom." Perfect. Who wouldn't want that for their child? For themselves?

I went to bed in a bit of a funk and grabbed a book off the bookshelf to rock me to sleep after my prayers. I didn't open the book. Fell asleep with it in my arms. But this morning at 3:30 when I woke up I opened it. Right there on the flap was enough of what I needed.

I have read this book many times. But it keeps showing up when I need it. I am working in Chicago and am staying with my cousin Genevieve and her family. When I walked in the door, in my space, my mood, my self-pity, my forced optimism... I saw it on the mantle. Perfect. A reminder to me that I had broken one if not all of the agreements and sure enough, I had.

In a nutshell these are the agreements:

1. BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

So, you see why this book pops up in my life every now and again?