Book Report

So, I've made it through about 1/3rd of this Codependency No More book. I have felt such a wide range of emotions while reading this book...from understood and supported to ashamed and confused. I consider myself a very independent person, so it has been difficult to admit that I have been a codependent person in my marriage the last few years. Chapter four is about codependent characteristics. At first, the list of characteristics seemed to make sense. By page 6 of this chapter, I felt like the list was absurd. You are codependent if you a) have a face b) pee at least once a day c) breathe through your nose d) were born on planet Earth. Those weren't really on the list, but it felt like if a person was being truly honest with themselves, every single person would identify with many of the characteristics on the list, because some of them seem fairly universal. Does this mean we are all codependent to varying degrees?

My favorite tree....

Here is my favorite tree on my hiking loop at Beaman State Park. I don't know what happened to it....clearly something intense. Maybe it snapped in half, but somehow managed to mend the wound and then grew up again from a broken part of the trunk? Who knows, but I just love it. I couldn't fit the whole tree in one frame, but this tree is just as tall and leafy as the others around it at the top. It reassures me that life can unexpectedly and completely change directions, and you can still end up just fine. Better than fine. You end up being someone's favorite out of the whole dang forest.