I picked up the book from amazon.com months ago and it has waited patiently on various tables of the house. After a combination of things (a new year's realization that I hardly read any more, except to Katie; a sudden desire to know more about our neighbors to the South; and my continuing quest for understanding) ... I read the whole book in one sitting. That isn't too difficult from a "length" perspective, as it's only 129 pages, but I had to keep putting it down and absorb what I'd just read. I plan to read it again and again.

The book is very simple. There are four agreements that you make within yourself that can transform your world. They're listed on most book reviews and on the inside cover - those words alone were strong enough to get me to pull out the wallet and buy the book. Powerful stuff - but since it's online, I won't go through those - instead, here is one bit that has my brain working:

In your whole life, nobody has ever abused you more than you have abused yourself. That limit of self-abuse then in turn determines how much abuse you're willing to take from someone else. If someone exceeds it, you find it easier to walk away. If less, you will probably stay in the relationship and tolerate it endlessly. The more self-love we have, the less self-abuse we perform, and the less abuse we accept from others.

Whew.