Lost and Found

A few days ago I finished "Lost and Found" by Geneen Roth.  The subtitle on the cover says, "One Woman's Story of Losing Her Money and Finding Her Life."

There were several things I liked about the story.  First, the author is a great writer.  I can relate to her in many senses but in other ways, I have no idea what it feels like to be her.  I've never had a million dollars go away in an instant.  I've never felt I was the victim of some great financial fraud.  [Unfortunately, I can attribute most of my financial disasters to something of my own doing.]

Second, I was really interested in the comparison she consistently made throughout the book between spending money and eating food.  With my history of dieting and my love of eating, I could certainly relate and draw conclusions based on the similarities between the two that she pointed out in the book.

On the other hand, I really wouldn't recommend this book as I don't feel like I learned anything revolutionary from it.  In fact, I probably wouldn't have finished it if it weren't for needing to write this review.  I think mostly I just grew bored with it.

The bottom line is this: the grass is always greener on the other side.  When you see people who are thin and you desire to be like them, you don't realize the struggles they do in fact deal with and their personal relationship with food looks "easier" than it really is.  When you pay attention to those who "have money" and you don't pay attention to how and where your money is going, you lose it.

Now I want to leave you with my two favorite quotes from the book.  These are the things that I hope to remember most from reading it. "In this moment, when I began paying attention to what I did have instead of what I didn't, there was a constant, unavoidable display of gorgeousness everywhere, anywhere."  (p. 26)  I want to remember to pay attention to the things that matter, the things I do have, not the things I don't.

Also, "The true disaster is living the life in your mind and missing the one in front of you." (p.96)  Thanks for this reminder, Ms. Roth.

Source

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.  If you'd like to read more about this book and share your thoughts you should join the discussion over at BlogHer's book club page.


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