5 Things Eat Pray Love Taught Me About Life (misadventureswithandi.

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5 Things Eat Pray Love Taught Me About Life

ByAndi Fisher

Eat Pray Love by Liz Gilbert is a book I return to often. I think a lot of travelers read it. Each time I read it I re-
discover and reflect. Of course, there is the Eat Pray Love movie too!

Books like Eat Pray Love can have a profound effect and I thought I would take a moment to share five things
that Eat Pray Love  taught (or in some cases reminded) me about life, how my version of Eat Pray Love changed
my life, and what my version of Eat Pray Love would look like.

[1] Life is about Pleasure. (Chapter 21)

There is a saying that goes: work to live not live to work. I thought it
was a French saying, but my husband doesn't think so. I know I heard
it many times while working in Switzerland. My office was very
international with people from all over Europe, so it is hard to say
who to attribute it to.

When I tried to do some research about it online, I ran into many

posts about this saying being attributed to Generation Y. I wasn't
exposed to the whole generational differences debate while living in Europe, so I still think that its source is
European. The point is that this is something that the Eat Pray Love  author, Elizabeth Gilbert, observed while she
was in Rome.

French  and Italians are very similar in their attitudes about life and where work fits in. Pleasure is of utmost
importance and is considered a priority in life. I think too often this is overlooked by the simple act of living.

Life is full of stresses and we often miss out on taking pleasure in the small things. It is important to sit still and
allow contentment.

As small as a beautiful apple, the sun on your face, or the smell of the paper on the pages of the book you are
reading. Taking a moment to remind ourselves to do this is critical. Oddly enough it is a reminder that most
French or Italians don't need it, it is ingrained in their DNA.

[2] It is never too late to find yourself, or reinvent yourself.

(I can't find the specific chapter where this idea grabbed my attention, sorry!)
30, 40, 50, 80. It does not matter. You are not stuck. “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,
anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

I am still baking, I am not done, and still have lots of time to be

“complete.” In the meantime, I can change directions 10 more times
before I die. There are no rules that say the person I am at 40 is who
I have to be at 50. Don't corner yourself, continue to innovate!

[3] Food can replenish more than your

stomach. (Chapter 21)
I think food is life . It is more than what is merely on your plate. It is passion, it is sustenance for your body and
your soul. I share about how food changed my life below and I honestly believe that it can restore you (when
not used as compensation for something else) nourishment by eating is real!
 I loved this part of the book. Elizabeth went to a farmer's market in Rome and carefully
selected food items to make a simple lunch in her apartment. When she returned and
prepared her meal she eats it on the floor drenched in sunlight. She wrote that it was one of
the happiest moments of her life and I totally believe it.

The pleasure of nourishment was simple and absolute. Eating in Italy will do that to you!

[4] Happiness is all a state of mind. (Chapter 87)

Elizabeth Gilbert called it Diligent Joy. Purposeful appreciation of the simple joys
in life. She also quoted a friend who stated that “all the sorrow and trouble of this
world is caused by unhappy people.” (One of my favorite quotes from Eat Pray
Love!) We are a body or emotions after all.
The only person who really has control over how you feel is yourself. You can be slaves to your thoughts or a
slave to your emotions. But you can choose to be happy. Choosing happiness  over suffering even when things
are not going your way. Very Pollyanna, I know, but very powerful.

[5] You find love when you least expect it. And love is always
complicated. (Chapter 93)
Ain't that the truth! When you stop focusing on something and open yourself up to the possibilities of just
being and controlling your own life you would be amazed who gets drawn into your path.
Once “found,” there are no fairy tale stories and all love must be tended to. And it is never easy, ever. But..it is
so worth it!
How My Version of Eat Pray Love Changed My
Life
Eat Pray Love  details the journey (through Italy, India, and Indonesia) that Elizabeth
Gilbert took to discover just exactly who she was. For as long as she could
remember, her life had become melded with those of the men she shared her life
with. Somewhere along the way she lost track of who she really was and decided to
embark on a mission to reclaim her life.

Whereas I don't think I had quite lost myself to the depths that Elizabeth Gilbert
had. The similarities to Eat Pray Love were there. When my first husband asked for a
divorce I was thrown into a tailspin.

I had never had a long period of time without a

boyfriend when a relationship ended, it was usually me
who was doing it. To have been dumped in such a
fashion was a huge wake-up call.

I was a miserable person and therefore made the

people around me miserable. Suddenly I had to spend a lot of time with myself and
it gave me pause to reflect on what my life had become.

At first, I can't say I was thrilled to have the time, but gradually I really relished the
alone time as I discovered, or re-discovered who I was, what I liked, and why I was
so unhappy.

I began to travel. Alone. I was lucky enough to be working in a position that

afforded me a lot of business trips. I started extending them and exploring Europe
and Asia. And what I discovered was the passion that many cultures had for food.

Eating was not just a utility, an exercise to get you from Point A
to Point B, but rather an experience. I brought the experiences
home with me. Gone were the microwave dinners eaten in five
minutes over the sink.

I started buying cheeses and wines and gourmet food products. I

started setting myself a spot on the bar and enjoying either a meal I made or one
that I had carefully selected. I stopped eating fast food and started thinking about
my meals and enjoying the tastes and textures and pleasure.

I enjoyed life and I became happier. I decided that if I could change my life with
food, I could change other parts of my life as well. I decided to be happier.
Consciously making the decision to be happy opened me up to the Universe and let
good things come to me. And I have not ever looked back.

If I ever found myself in the position of being alone again I would travel to where
people embrace life and celebrate it. Through food, through wine, through
everything in life and I know that I would be okay.

When I read the book Eat Pray Love I was reminded of that, it was something I had
not thought about in many years. I am thankful that Elizabeth Gilbert shared her
experience in a way that teaches other women that they can rediscover themselves
as well.

When I watch Eat Pray Love or rather Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love I am grateful her
story was able to reach a broader audience and inspire more female travelers to get
out and explore.

My Version of Eat Pray Love

I read Eat Pray Love  late. It had already been out for quite a while when I read it. I
liked the book but didn't care too much for the “pray” chapters. I read them, and
they were okay, but the topic didn't interest me.

It made me contemplate what would my version of the book have been.

Don't get me wrong. Everything is peachy-keen with Mr. Misadventures, but if I HAD
to put myself into Elizabeth Gilbert's shoes. My version would be Eat Love. See, I
very nicely erased the “pray” from my version.
So the Misadventures with Andi version would look like this:

 Two months in Japan. One month in Tokyo eating every type of sushi, udon,
teriyaki, and tempura item that I could get my hands on. Taking a million
photos of all the incredible eye candy that is on the city streets by day and by
night. The second month I would take the train through the countryside and
visit Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, Nagasaki, etc. I would return to Tokyo for one last night of
sushi before I headed off.
 Two weeks in Hong Kong gorging myself on dim sum and noodles. Visiting
the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island and shopping in the night markets.
 Two weeks in Thailand. I would stay out of Bangkok, spending only a day or
two there, and would spend the rest of the time exploring less touristy parts
and eating my way through many of the wonderful regional delicacies that
Thailand has to offer.
 Two weeks in Vietnam. A repeat of Thailand. I would spend only a few days in
Hanoi and then eat my way through the countryside.
 Two weeks in South Korea. I could stay the entire time in Seoul and eat in the
night markets every night! I would visit one of my favorite museums,
the Leeum (Samsung) Museum of Art . Then I would shop. I found the best-
fitting clothes while staying in Korea. I never have to worry about pants being
too long!

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That is four months in Asia and now I am ready to hit Europe!

 I would start out in Portugal and move my way west and north.
 One month in Portugal including a trip to the Azores. I would try to find very
local restaurants so that I may have a chance to have some of the dishes that
my grandparents used to cook. I would kayak through the wine country (at a
very leisurely pace) and then eventually end up in the north of the country
where I would pop over to Bilbao.
 One month in Spain. Starting in Bilbao where I would spend a week soaking in
the amazing architecture and then moving to Barcelona where I would spend
the remaining three weeks indulging in tapas and paella to my heart's content.

With my remaining six months I would spend three months in France and three
months in Italy.

 Three months in Italy including one month in Rome, one month in

Florence/Tuscany, two weeks on the Amalfi Coast, and two weeks in Venice.
  Three months in France. I would end my trip here. The country that has my
heart. I would spend one month touring the highlights of France (Toulouse,
Normandy, etc.) and the last two months in Paris eating my way through
every arrondissement . I would wander the street without a real plan just
soaking everything that is the city I love most in the world.

And that is how my journey would go. But what about the Love you ask? Well, have
you ever seen a Barcelonian man? A Roman god? And Paris is the City of Love (and
Light). I am sure that my healthy lust for food would not fail to attract either a
Spaniard, Italian, or Frenchman. That is the easy part…

More from Liz Gilbert

The author of Eat Pray Love has written a few other books you might want to look
into. For non-fiction, there is Big Magic, The Last American Man , and Committed,
And she has some wonderful novels as well: City of Girls , The Signature of All
Things, Stern Men, and Pilgrims.

Did Eat Pray Love teach you something about life? Did you watch the movie
Eat Pray Love or read the Eat Pray Love book? What would your version of Eat
Pray Love be? What would your version of “Eat” be? Have any favorite Eat Pray
Love quotes?

Learn English with Movies | EAT, PRAY, LOVE - YouTube

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