What is the last book that you read specifically because someone recommended it to you?

@swirlie sometimes I like to think it is the work of Spirit to bring a book to you through a friend.. It is up to you if you will receive it and if you will read it.

@Boeing
...is Spirit also responsible for that friend offering you a breath mint out of the blue?

@swirlie perhaps yes and again, the choice is mine will I take it or not.

3 and a half years ago in my birthdays my boyfriend had gifted me one of these commercial books, I got angry and told him he didn't even take the time to choose something for me but rather he just got what was sold.

3 years ago I left that book in Nepal, on my way to the airport, without having read it.
I forgot about it.

1 year ago last Christmas I enter a crowded bookstore and I see the same book. I bought it.
and I read it and it was a blatant book. But in a page, it was talking about how purple and yellow flowers were appearing in a field when death was nearing.

I was living up the mountain and I begun to observe the colors by which the flowers were appearing, in the end of winter, in the beginning of the spring, in the end of summer. I observed a sequence. As a painter, working with colors, I saw things, I made realizations.
I connect things.

So I trust the ways of life more and more.

@Boeing
I think you've missed the point of my own post. When someone offers you a breath mint, they are not offering you a candy. A breath mint has a specific purpose for it's creation in the first place. A breath mint is a breath sanitizer in candy-form.

My question was, why would a person offer you a breath mint unless of course you had bad breath that you weren't aware of?

If YOU never thought that you had bad breath, but they offered you a breath mint as if they were offering you a simple candy, their actions of offering you a breath sanitizer that was marketed as such but presented in candy-form, would actually be considered an insult, or at least it should be, rather than just telling you straight-up that your breath is strong.

That is why one should never offer anyone and unsolicited breath mint because to make that offering without being asked, they are telling you that you are unknowingly IN NEED of a breath sanitizer.

When someone offers you a breath mint, they are making a statement to you; they are NOT being hospitable just because they take one from the package for themselves, which they themselves are using as a breath sanitizer to control their own breath.

When it comes to books, my question then went on to say the same thing. When someone suggests that you specifically should read a certain book, WHY are they suggesting that YOU need to read that specific book?

For example, if someone were to suggest that you specifically, should read a certain self-help book from the Psychology section of a book store, that would suggest that THEY think that YOU are in need of learning something about yourself that you clearly haven't learned yet.

Rather than just telling you what that deficiency is in their view, they instead offer unsolicited advice by suggesting you read a specific book where hopefully, you will learn of your apparent deficiency without someone having to tell them, particularly them.

To my point then, when someone specifically suggests a certain book that you should read, you should first question them as to 'why' they are making that unsolicited suggestion to you in the first place.

@swirlie all this thinking implies that we are taking things personally, and when I say to work with Spirit, that means that you are trusting that beyond the surface reasoning, lies something else..a deeper reasoning.

I brought my story as an example, my own learning experience. I also took it personally against my boyfriend back then, following a similar way of thinking that you are portraying here. But years later I found that book myself and bought it.
You know what, I think I will suggest this book to you.
That book my ex gave me few years ago and I didn't want it because I was thinking what were his reasons for getting me this gift, and I was so strongly opinionated that I almost missed the gift. Almost, I didn't.

The Traveling Cat Chronicles - Hiro Arikawa

Now I must go and sleep 🪻

@Boeing
You shouldn't take these debate posts personally like you're doing, Boeing.

Though I understand what you learned when you bought the book yourself in the bookstore where you learned about purple and yellow flowers, the fact remains I'm sure that to this day, that you may still not know 'why' your ex-boyfriend bought you that book.

Let's face it, you unloaded your ego onto him while dismissing him completely for not buying something specific that would acknowledge you personally.

You may never know why your ex-bf thought it necessary to buy that book for you in the first place, though all you do know for sure from that experience is that when purple and yellow flowers are appearing in a field that death is nearing.

Question that remains is, were purple and yellow flowers something your boyfriend wanted to tell you about? ..or was there something else in that book that caught his attention that he thought worthy of making that purchase?

Unfortunately, your anger at him for failing to acknowledge your self-perceived 'specialness' overruled any good judgement you could have otherwise imparted to the situation and that last question of mine may never get answered, no matter how many times you read his book that you ended up being guided by Spirit to buy yourself.

Had you chosen to accept his gift at face value and you then read about purple and yellow flowers appearing in a field and you were able to share that information with him at the time, that one passage in the book may have been the purple and yellow flowers that were present in a form of essence which preceded the death of your relationship with your ex-boyfriend.

Instead of receiving advanced warning of that failing relationship ahead of time, you received that warning after the fact as you read about purple and yellow flowers after you bought the book. It wasn't okay for your boyfriend to buy the book, but it was okay for YOU to buy the book. Why is that? I really don't know for sure.

That is why I said in my post that when someone suggests that you read a specific book, not unlike being offered a breath mint, you must ask them why they are making that suggestion by their camouflaged offering to you.

Enjoy your journey 🌾

@swirlie usually people have a good intention of wanting to help us, and whilst we are the authority that choses whether to allow that help or not, depending on where we are seeing our path unfolding, and only us can see - I am very well aware of that authority Swirlie.. What I had to work on though, to live a more fulfilling life, is to know when to take a step back and allow another - since the idea of Spirit isn't making sense to you and that's perfectly fine - so, to allow another to co-create.
Yes it was my self importance and my ego that got in the way, that didn't allow me to receive his gift at that time given.
Another truth that is very subjective, is how I read very little actually. People meet me and I might give an impression of reading books but it takes me months to finish one, as I read a page - and a page might need 3 days to digest. So very subjectively, the real reason for me is that I cannot read few books per year and then within them add the gifts. Although I am considering myself to be very lucky to be in a position to be loved enough to be receiving gifts - I think that is what makes me angry in your approach, that you focus on the personal choice and you completely dismiss the other person giving something - yes many have twisted personalities but they still gift from their soul -

Let's recap this, from my side at least!
My ex's gesture was sweet but the timing for me to read that book wasn't right. I think he asked from his sister, as she was more sophisticated than himself, to get a book for me, I never made sure but I was suspecting that from conversations, and what made me angry was that, he didn't put the time to get me a gift but asked from someone else to do the "job". And perhaps because of the perceived intentions, I blocked myself from receiving that gift. But also, perhaps the blockage was important - I read that book at the right time!
It was a story of a cat, and at the time I was volunteering at a cat sanctuary, all made sense.
All in all that's a great book ahahahahah I would recommend, it is written by a sweet Japanese woman and is full of care, easiness and tender insight, not forcing it into your face but gently in the background....I guess Japanese are talented with it..

Thank you for the conversation, I am glad I stayed so far:) have a nice day 🌸

@Boeing
I hate to be the one to bring this to your attention Boeing, but you don't actually know as much about Spirit as you give yourself credit for. This is because your ego is still very much intact and still very much in full control of your attitude, which quite frankly is very juvenile at best.

The reason you got angry at your ex-boyfriend was because you speculated as to WHO the purchaser of that book was, making the unfounded assumption that it was your ex-boyfriend's sister who purchased it, only because in YOUR opinion, she was more sophisticated than your ex-bf was.

That assumption you made about her and her brother was profoundly arrogant of you, since everything you judged them both on was purely speculative on your part. To this day, you still have no idea who's choice it was to purchase that book!

What I suggest you do is give up this bullsh*t path of self-discovery that you're on and go back to square one where you started and start over.

What you need to do is ditch the ego first and foremost and until you do, you will remain stuck at exactly the same place your ex-boyfriend and his sister dropped you off, which is where you still are right now.

@swirlie thank you for the time taken and your attention here.

Each knows for themselves of their connection and experiences and so allow another to have their knowing, while you are having yours.
So each can be the creative artist in their life and allow others to be the artist in theirs, no matter how hard it is sometimes to release the control - when things seem so obvious for one, another need to take the route they need to take.
When I refer to Spirit, You are not excluded..you are another form of It I am talking with. And I am included too.

I appreciate your seeing and your sharpness and your reflections.