Been There, Done That

Our book club (which I have dubbed ‘Good in Bed,’ much to the chagrin of my mother) is reading Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia. If ever one could fall in love with a book, I’ve done so with this read. I have scraps of sticky-notes all over it, marking yet another favorite part. At times, I feel as though the author went into my brain and stole my thoughts, insecurities, love for travel and experiences with men and then wrote a book about it. How lovely/rude of her.

Reading this book has been a little bit like therapy for me. (But way cheaper, y’all. I got it at the Junior League Attic Sale for, like, $4.) I can relate to many of her ups and downs and soul searching moments. As ridiculous as this sounds, I might just leave it on my nightstand permanently. You know, just in case I have a fleeting moment of self-pity or something. I will have it right there, within reach, so that I can flip to the sticky-note pages and instantly feel better because someone else has been there, too.

There is something deeply comforting about knowing someone else has been in your shoes. That you aren’t the only one who has had a certain surgical procedure, or has been laid off, or who couldn’t find a job for months, or has a friend or family member they miss, or got married and subsequently divorced. Knowing that someone else feels or has felt the same way at one time, well, it can mean the difference between losing it and pulling it together. I wish someone would’ve shoved this book into my hands circa January of 2009, but I guess just like any other love – it was probably worth the wait.

The following quote made my sticky-note list:

“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.” — Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia)