Just kidding. But doesn’t that title pop?! Doesn’t it scream “click me” without actually screaming? Isn’t it also a prime example of the most despised internet bait and switch of all time? Like…

“Want to know what food to avoid in order to get rid of belly fat? Watch this video.” 

The video then goes on and on and on and never reveals the answer. Or maybe it does, but I have no patience for such things so I’ll never know. 

Today I did something I rarely do: watch a movie while walking on the treadmill. Usually, I watch a single episode of a show or follow up on emails or try to write something, but I had started watching a movie, ohhhhh, about a million years ago, and wanted to finish it before we pulled the plug on Netflix. The movie was Eat Pray Love, which is based on the book of the same title by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

Unlike most people who are familiar with that book as the thing that launched her career (or rather launched it into the highest tier, as she was already a well-known writer), I was first introduced to her through her book “Big Magic” which is an inspirational book for aspiring writers. It wasn’t until after I listened to it on audible that I sought out “Eat, Pray, Love” and, knowing it was already a movie, I opted for the movie. 

It’s tough to get inspired by a movie when you watch in 5 minute increments as I have been doing these last few months. I’d each lunch or fold laundry or something and put it on, just to finish my brief activity and turn it off again. The movie was good, but it wasn’t until today when I watched the last hour of it on my treadmill that I felt anything resembling an inspirational impact. 

The inspiration, I am afraid, will probably be short-lived and I can already feel it slipping away. I suppose what does stick with me is the desire to go to Rome in Italy and India and Bali in Indonesia. Maybe not the desire to go there exactly, but just to be there and experience the food and culture and such. But I can’t be there without going there and I can’t experience the culture in the same way that she did because I don’t have that kind of time, money, or life situation. 

So what does that leave me with? Eat, Pray, Love. Eat, Pray, Love. 

Eat… Pray… Love…

Like a sign from the Universe answering the question, I keep asking about what I’m supposed to do with my life now. 

Now. 

Now that everything has changed and I don’t have to “do” anything anymore, I can focus on whatever I want. But what does that look like? What does one do with a gift like that? 

I thought I wanted to be a writer, but I don’t. I mean, I am a writer and I do write, but I don’t think that’s it for me. I don’t think it’s my calling or that I need to do anything more with it than I am right now.

I get a sense of satisfaction from writing sometimes, but mostly I do it to work out what I think or feel about a situation or person or whatever. That’s not a career and it sure as heck isn’t providing me with a sense of purpose or fulfilling my need to contribute something meaningful to the world. 

My “desire” to be published is waning quite a bit too. For one thing, it’s a terrible amount of work to make any sort of progress in the field and for another, it mostly leads to rejection. Why go through all the effort AND rejection when I can just self-publish? Why publish at all unless I hace something I think is worthy of other peoples time? (Don’t even get me started on what constitutes “worthy.”)

Plus, publishing comes with complications. Once something is out there, it’s subject to interpretation and people can be stupid and cruel and the last thing I need is to unnecessarily create drama where there is none. And if my words are twisted to fit someone else’s narrative or agenda, then they aren’t really what’s in my heart anyway. 

All this to say, what’s the point? 

I’m 50 now and think it’s high time to pin down what I want to do for the rest of my life. So that’s the burning question, people. What is the answer? 

Eat… Pray… Love? 

Maybe. 

Awe shucks, not exactly the resounding YES I was hoping for. But it sounds nice right? I like to eat. Who doesn’t. I’m not big into praying. Not in the traditional sense anyway, but maybe if I widen the net of the definition of “prayer.” And love, yeah, love is always wanted and appreciated and like they say, you get what you give, so I guess that works. 

For now anyway. 

In closing, I’d like to say the movie was good and it was worth watching and I don’t say that about a lot of movies. And it really was a great way to procrastinate doing some of the other stuff on my to-do list, which, if you were paying attention in the beginning, is the key to success in any endeavor. 

Stay tuned ’till next time, when I will explain exactly why that is and how you too can capitalize on this secret to obtain success for yourself! 

Peace and love,
~Miss SugarCookie