Eat Pray Love
Live It Up eNews! March 2010
1. Eat pray Love and Depression
Dear Reader
I have been reading a couple of great books, so thought I would do a book review this month, instead of a short article. Reading someone else’s story is so often enormously inspiring, and you will find this true of these two books.
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert – absolutely brilliant
Freakonomics by Stephen Levitz and Steven Dubner – simply fascinating
Salsa and Zouk have just come to a close, and Argentine Tango finishes next week, while bootcamp training is ongoing. So, life is still busy and fun! I’m booking in for more Tango classes, and dropping off the others at the moment so that I can improve my tango more quickly. Just when you think you are getting the hang of something, there is more to learn and get your head around. Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way and our own self-doubt, and yes, dear Reader, sometimes that happens to me too!
At those times, I ask myself what is the purpose of this? Usually my inner child is seeking reassurance, or some hand-holding which means I haven’t put in enough praise and positive feedback, or my ego is beating me up for not being good enough…. Eek.
So, repeat with me, “I am good enough, I learn new things easily and quickly, my mind and body are good at learning and remembering.” The more intellectual you are, and the more you ignore your emotions, the harder this concept will be for you to take on board. As I always say, if your mind could have solved these problems you wouldn’t need to see me, now would you?”
In ten day’s time (departing Saturday 27th March) I am taking a week’s holiday to Fiji provided it is still standing after Cyclone Tomas. My thoughts and prayers are with this South Pacific nation that everyone is okay, first and foremost because they have been getting an absolute pummelling.
Stay well and healthy, be all you can be, do all you can and have what you want!
Warmest wishes, Narelle
PS, if you have a great easy recipe that you would like to share, please email me with it. I’m running out of ideas!
1. Eat, Pray, Love:
One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia (by Elizabeth Gilbert)
This book is wonderful! It is a woman’s true story of a messy divorce from the husband she didn’t hate, but didn’t want to be with any more. It’s about her depression and her helpful ways of dealing with it, her ex-lover, and the guru she met because of her ex-lover. She goes to Italy, then to India to her Guru’s Ashram so it includes her troubles with meditation and going within (something many of us have experienced) and her learning experiences there. Months later, she travels to Bali to spend time with Ketut the medicine man – who has forgotten who she is despite having invited her to spend a few months with him and his family!
This is an emotional journey that gains calm and clarity and peace as it progresses, and of course love, while offering much wisdom throughout. Elizabeth writes superbly with many interesting and expressive turns of phrase that just nail things down.
The movie is in production and Julia Roberts will play Elizabeth, so I am looking forward to that. There is also a sequel, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage which I have yet to read. Update: I have now read it and it is rather long-winded and boring, I am sorry to say.
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a fascinating account of oddball answers to even more oddball questions. For example, if it wasn’t gun control or community groups that caused the dramatic reduction in the crime wave of the 90′s in America, then what was it? Or, why do drug dealers still live at home with their Mums? Or, what are the 5 worst words to use when selling real estate?
Economist Steven D. Levitt and writer Stephen Dubner collaborate to bring you this brilliant book that uses statistics at its heart, to give you the answers to these intriguing questions. Relax, it is an easy read, and one that you can dip into over and over again. It really is fascinating.
Master’s Wisdom!
“I like that she is getting up early, ‘cos I get to eat early!”
