Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Mantra

I've never personally read it, however I will see the movie (diehard Julia Roberts afficiando that I am) ... And then maybe I'll think about reading it. Eat, Pray, Love had seemed a little overdone what with everyone I spoke to having read it and it all sounding a bit preachy in tone - much like The Da Vinci Code series... However there were some extracts that resonated, and require sharing for a certain someone who is in need of some words of encouragement right now.

"When I get lonely these days, I think: So BE lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.”

I have a history of making decisions very quickly about men. I have always fallen in love fast and without measuring risks. I have a tendency not only to see the best in everyone, but to assume that everyone is emotionally capable of reaching his highest potential. I have fallen in love more times than I care to count with the highest potential of a man, rather than with the man himself, and I have hung on to the relationship for a long time (sometimes far too long) waiting for the man to ascend to his own greatness. Many times in romance I have been a victim of my own optimism.”

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.”


Have you read Eat, Pray, Love? Will you see the film?

1 comment:

A said...

I downloaded the audio book from iTunes about a year ago. I still haven't finished it! I think the reason for this is that I need to be doing something mindless to listen to my iPod - such as walking/running, and I haven't done that in a while. Also I struggled with the audio book format - listening to the same woman's voice going on and on.. It's Elizabeth Gilbert herself who does the reading. I really think I would enjoy it so much more by reading the book.. Can't wait to see the movie though!! x