Good morning!
Last night Eric and I went out for Mexican food, stuffed ourselves silly on fajitas, and then headed to Chapters book store. Pretty much my dream night. I had gift cards to use and I bought Eat Pray Love and didn’t have to pay a dime.
My story with Eat Pray Love goes back a couple years. In 2008, I purchased the EPL audio book shortly after seeing Elizabeth Gilbert’s interview with Oprah.
I was going through a rough time in my life and this book really spoke to me. I felt like I knew Elizabeth and that I connected with her desire for self-discovery in some way. I thought having her voice in an audio book would comfort me during this tough time in my life and I planned on listening to the book during my commutes to and from work and school.
Ironically, not long after I downloaded the audio book onto my computer, my computer crashed and I lost everything, including the audio book. Life was busy and I just forgot about it assuming one day I would buy the book.
That day was yesterday!
I could not put this book down last night. Around midnight my eyes were drooping and I was literally falling asleep reading. I woke up with my head on Eric’s shoulder around 12:30am and I stumbled up to bed.
Sketchie also loves when I read because it means that I am actually in one spot more than 5 minutes at a time…
I love when he sleeps on me. :biggrin:
I also love how Elizabeth organized the book in terms of a short story representing each japa mala. I love how the book is divided up by the three countries that she visited, each for a different purpose along her journey. It is quite brilliant actually. The book just exudes symmetry.
I was excited when I woke up this morning for a few reasons:
1) I had a solid 8 hours of sleep
2) Today is my day off
3) I have a book to read
4) The weather is gorgeous and sunny
5) I have new music for my run today (‘Over’ by Drake is a new fav)
I used up the rest of my beet greens and some new spinach for Green Monster energy!
I also threw in some raspberries, Almond Milk, raw maca powder, 1 tbsp homemade almond butter, and 1 frozen banana.
I had another situation on my hands…
I had some Green Monster spillage as I juggled my GM and SLR camera while freaking out about walking through a HUGE cobweb. Story of my life.
It was good though.
I wanted to share with you a quote from Eat Pray Love that I think is really powerful:
“For years, I’d wished I could speak Italian- a language I find more beautiful than roses- but I could never make the practical justification for studying it…What was I going to do with Italian? It’s not like I was going to move there. It would be more practical to learn how to play the accordion.
But why must everything have a practical application? I’d been such a diligent soldier for years- working, producing, never missing a deadline, etc. Is this lifetime supposed to be only about duty?…It’s not like I was saying at age 32, ‘I want to become the principal ballerina for the NYC ballet.” Studying a language is something you can actually do. So I signed up for classes at one of those continuing education places. My friends thought this was hilarious…But I loved it.”
This got me thinking a lot about my life, Eric’s, and whether there were things that we wanted to do, but didn’t think there was a practical application for. Eric is currently struggling with some decisions in his own life (that I can’t get into, but probably will some day in the future) and I know there are many things that he wants right now, but he doesn’t think they are practical to actually do. This makes me very sad to think about. Why must we live our lives ‘by the book’ or doing what others expect of us? As Elizabeth mentioned in the quote above, why must everything have a practical purpose? Can’t we just listen to our hearts sometimes?
So I ask you today…What are the things you want to do but you aren’t sure they have a practical purpose?
One of the things that we desperately want to do at this stage in our lives is travel. We always said that our free time in our late twenties would be spent traveling together, but so far we have not found a practical purpose (or free time) to try to put this goal into action.
That book sounds powerful -I’ve been wanting to read it for a while; I think I’m gonna have to bite the bullet and buy it!
There’s so much I want to do…travel, have my own cafe, write, blog, ride…I think all of it has a purpose though..I don’t know- that’s such a tricky question! I just want to be happy and healthy, that’s it!
I’m so excited for the film to come out! I’ve read it twice and it is next on my list again. I have so much underlined in Eat, Pray, Love that I turn back to from time to time.
I would love to get more into photography but have been told it isn’t practical a dozen time. It makes me so happy to take pictures, I have friends and family who would love to be my “models”, and now I’m saving up for the camera to do it!
I wish we could just listen to our hearts for everything. While not always possible, I think we should all try to do it a little more, and toss practicality to the wind on occasion!
I really wanted to a do a lot of traveling with my husband before we had kids and “obligations”, but I’m realizing more and more that just isn’t going to happen. But maybe a compromise is a weekend away ;) haha.
Going back to school! I want to be a nutrition researcher, but I at least need my Ph.D to do this. At this point, I don’t want to do more than my M.S., so I’ve been told that it doesn’t make sense to go back at all. My passion is learning and I can’t think of anything else I would rather do with my life right now. So, I’m going ahead and applying for school and am going to pursue my dreams with an M.S. degree. No matter how “unlikely” it is, its not impossible! Even if nothing comes of it, I want to go back.
I want to move someplace remote (like Montana). I want to be somewhere where there aren’t airplanes flying overhead all the time, horns honking and sirens blaring. To be able to sit on my front porch (and to have a front porch) and hear nothing but nature. This is entirely impractical, because my and my fiance’s careers. We depend on them obviously and unfortunately they mean living in a city.
Okay, now I am really worried because I can’t find my copy of Eat, Pray, Love! Oh no!
I absolutely love Celtic History. Weird maybe, but I love it all the same. I have said many times that I would love to move to Ireland so I can get a degree as a Celtic historian but people seem to think it has no appilcations so it isn’t worth my time or money.
Luckily as far as my education goes, I have a second love (Nutrition) that is more “applicable”. Someday i do plan to get a degree in Celtic History though.
I LOVE this book! My copy is looking pretty worn. I think I’ve read it half a dozen times. One of my (many) favorite quotes from the book is this:
*Of course, we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box and staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure).*
-Elizabeth Gilbert
Looks like you’re filling your day off with actual pleasures. Good for you!
LOVE that quote! So true!!
YESS!!! I underlined this quote today!
Its this quite alone, that made me just add Eat Pray Love to my Kindle. Love, love love it.
You will not regret your purchase! I just dug my copy out again. So many pages are dog-eared and highlighted :o)
I’m in my late 20s too – I don’t know if you ever plan to have children, but I really regret that I didn’t travel more before having my son. I’ll never regret having him but I always wanted to save more money, find the right time, etc… & now I wish I would have just traveled where I wanted to go and had the experiences I wanted to have pre-baby (because once you have one, it’s a lot harder to travel anywhere!!)
I say do it now- no matter how impractical it seems- if it’s your passion I doubt very highly you will regret it!
Thanks for your advice I really appreciate your honesty!
Such a great post! I’m reading that book right now and I also feel like I can relate, as I’m going through a rough time in my life myself. It IS so silly that everything we do has to have a practical purpose. Life is too short to NOT follow your heart and just go for what you want.
I just started the book yesterday and agree with you that there are things our hearts desire that sometimes we don’t feel that they are purposeful. But, the book is making me think that our life is a practical purpose..thus we should live it to the fullest. If that is not a good enough reason to set forth and go, then I don’t know what could be. Too often we are held back by obligations..what if for once, we shed our responsibilities and felt free?
love your quote here “But, the book is making me think that our life is a practical purpose..thus we should live it to the fullest” Very insightful!
For me its about money or leaving things behind. I’ve ALWAYS wanted to live/teach in a third world country but at this point in my life I could never imagine leaving my boyfriend and dog behind. I want to be a singer. I can sing, but would definitely need voice lessons. I could never justify spending money and energy into something that will only benefit me. Traveling…… how I would love to go a billion places but with all my school debt it just won’t happen. As we get older, it feels harder and harder to do these wonderful things.
Maybe your singing could take you somewhere? It’s never a waste to invest in yourself if it brightens the lives of those around you, but especially yourself. You’re 50% of the way there anyway in acknowledging that you can sing!! :)
It sounds to me like you already have the tools that you need, but just have to get in the mindset to use them. I agree with lizzie – invest in yourself, and see where that investment takes you!
I want to learn to speak another language, preferably French. I don’t really need it but I always feel like it would be great to be able to communicate in my country’s other official language. I also want to take photography lessons. Again, purely as a hobby but also as something I really enjoy and that would make me happy!!
Eat Pray Love is SUCH a beautiful book. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! And this: “Why must we live our lives ‘by the book’ or doing what others expect of us?” is so true. Definitely something to think about!
I was actually in the Barnes and Noble yesterday and this book caught my eye. I didn’t buy it, but after your review I think I’m at a point in my life that I definitely need to read it. I have one year left of engineering undergrad but realized my true passion is nutrition. I find that I am not happy at school. I took my first nutrition class this past semester and loved it. Things just seem to fall into place when you allow yourself to take part in what you are truly passionate about. I am about to make a 3 day road trip back to school and Eat Pray Love (on cd) is being shipped from Amazon as we speak. Thanks so much for the book review!!!
Enjoy the book!
I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever done anything for a practical purpose! I have never used either my degree or my Masters in any of my jobs. I guess my yoga teacher training earns me a bit of money but yoga teaching isn’t exactly a hugely profitable profession. I’m a great believer in doing the things you love :)
haha I love your honesty here, thank you. I admire your strength to do what you love!
One of the things I’ve wanted to do for awhile now is become a yoga instructor. The cost for most programs is about $2,000 as you know, which I don’t just have lying around since any extra money goes into my budding emergency fund. As an RN who hopes of going back to school next year for my master’s, I just tell myself I “can’t” and that it is “pointless” because it isn’t like it will add to my income much (more like take away from it, the starting cost), but damnit, I think it WOULD add to my life!! Now, if only I could find $2,000 and not feel guilty for spending it:)
Training to be a yoga instructor is reward in itself and I joke about it not paying much but it has certainly paid for itself several times over! However when I did mine I paid in smaller installments. I trained in the UK where our training takes a lot longer (2-3 years) and is even more expensive!
I do think if you want to do something and it is right for you the opportunity will present itself, so keep your eyes open for affordable payment methods and they will come.
Much love and oms to you!
I have always wanted to get an RV or something and travel across the US. No real purpose other then I want to. There is so much in my life I wish I could accomplish. I am reading this now and I am relating to so much of the book. Fearful of relationships, recovering from emotional trauma (for me in the middle of a bad relapse of anorexia) and needing to find some inner peace and something to believe in again. This book is a GREAT book and I can’t wait to finish it.
I also love the part about soul mates not sure if you’ve got that far, but it says that some people are in your life to help you grow and they were your soul mates but for only a short while.
I wish you strength in your recovery to get over your relapse. Glad you enjoy the book, I wish I read it sooner. I think I will be finished very soon though, lol. And then eagerly awaiting seeing the movie!
Can’t wait for the movie! Somedays I feel like I’m doing great, but I do know that I’m trying to put people back in my life and going out again is frightening I can’t quite get over that.
I just finished it this afternoon in the pool. It is definitely enlightening makes me want to go to India.
My advice, from a 60 year old perspective, is find a way to make your travel dreams possible, even if it’s only for a short time, and do it NOW while you are young and healthy and have no kids. You found a way to get off the treadmill of working for someone else and started your own business, and without a doubt you can find a way to make traveling possible. Think outside the box, talk to each other about the “what ifs” and see what happens. Here it is in a nutshell:
“…God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall;
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”
Wow…just fabulous, the entire comment! Thank you Sue
I agree with travel too. We want to travel before we have kids, but it just doesn’t seem practical right now!
I want to teach for Class Afloat (www.classafloat.com), cage dive with great whites, take the Trans-Siberian railroad across Russia… a lot of people think this is crazy because it isn’t the norm. I still struggle with what I should do, but I know that at the ned of the day living a life for me is (obviously) so much more important than for anyone else.
I recently bought EPL, too. I haven’t started reading it yet, but I’ve seen a lot of good review about it, like this one! But maybe I can’t relate as well because I’m not as old? But self-discovery… man that’s a big one. Self discovery is so important after recovery from an ED, no kidding.
I want to become a graphic designer and design ads, posters or campaigns for little indie companies. But that career path is hard :( I’d also like to be a therapist!
Wei-Wei
I really agree with what you said about self discover after an ED is so important. I didnt know who I was for years so I can relate to that a lot.