Like just about every other woman on the planet, Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling book..Eat, Pray, Love has become my most recent obsession.
I’ve seen this book almost 20 times the last few weeks, and a few times I actually picked it up, and pondered purchasing it. But for every time I picked it up, I came up with the perfect reason why NOW was not the right time. Last week, on a frantic search around Barnes & Noble for something for my son, I actually walked past the Best Sellers list, and literally, 4 copies fell right off the shelf into my path. (Okay, we all know THAT was a sign)
So, on my way to Raleigh this weekend, there I was in the airport book store, searching for something more than a magazine, but nothing too heavy, and Liz was practically shouting “BUY ME! BUY ME!” So, finally, for the last time, I picked up her newest book, and sunk myself right in. Almost immediately, Liz and I became kindred spirits. Soul sisters. She is me. I am her. We are each other.
I could go on for hours, but one of the most profound lessons I took from this book was the analogy of praying and meditating. Simply, that praying is the act of talking to G-d. Meditating is the act of listening. I have been working on many different methods of meditation, and for a woman with 2 kids, 3 jobs, and a very busy calendar, just getting into the first 10 minutes has been quite challenging. But, I couldn’t agree more that it is in our most silent moments that G-d speaks loudest and strongest to us. The problem is, so many of us today are so subconsciously busy and preoccupied, that even if G-d hit us over the head, we probably wouldn’t realize it ever happened.
I’m only halfway through the book. I just got home from the weekend, and my suitcase is begging to be unpacked, and the house is a mess. But, I just have to get through chapter 72. The suitcase can wait…