Eat Pray Love

I have always measured the success of a day by how I was productive. Did I go to work and put in an 8 hour day? If it was a day off, what did I accomplish? Was I diciplined? Did I practice photography? Get the house clean? Cross off every item on my to-do list? Organize something that needed organizing? Did I workout? Teach my kids an important lesson? Make a good dinner?

I always put a lot of pressure on myself to "get sh*t done". Since I have these 2 weeks off, I have officially taken the pressure off of myself to be productive. I've given myself total permission to do just whatever it is that makes me happy. Whatever the heck I want. Like today, for example, after I took the kids to daycare, I came home and went back to bed until 10:00. Then I ate ice cream for lunch, and spent an hour (ok maybe a little closer to 2) on ebay. For most of the day, though, I read my new book.

I started reading this book Eat Pray Love. This is one of the best books I have ever read! I have been wanting to pick it up for several months now, but I am usually hesitant to start a book because once I get into it, I am extremely un-productive. The house could be burning down around me, and I wouldn't notice, or if I did, care to do much about it. So, since this is a Me Doing Only What I Want To vacation, I am totally immersed in this book.

In October I flew to Oakland for a class. The guy next to me was reading this book, and it was the first I'd heard of it. "Is that a good book?" I asked, which is always a good opener. Fred, (sounds like I made up his name) who was a charter boat captain from Bainbridge Island, had nothing but raves about it. "It's about this woman who goes through a nasty divorce", he said, "and then travels to Italy, India, and Indonesia to seek pleasure and spirituality". It sounded like a good book, I suppose, but not a total page turner. During the flight I got up to go to the bathroom, and as I walked down the aisle towards the lav I saw another person reading the book. The cover is distinct and it caught my eye. Then, when I flew home from that trip, I saw a lady in the terminal also reading this book. Since I am a firm believer in the concept If everyone else is doing it, than I should be doing it too (ok just kidding on that) I decided it would be my next book. On my last day before vacation, I was busy with a patient when my co-worker Janie popped into my room. "Have you read Eat Pray Love yet?" she asked, and said she was done with her copy. What perfect timing! And considering my last book was Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain, I could use something a little uplifting.

So I am about 1/3 into this book. She is in Italy right now. Taking in all of what makes Italy amazing. The language, the people, the food. When I was 20, I had the opprotunity to spent 3 weeks there (I mean I practically lived there). The way she writes and the words she chooses to describe her experiences there make me want to be there again so bad! I can pracitcally smell the garlic.

So I am off to bed to bring a close to my unproductive, joy-filled day. I have a book to cozy up with. Ciao Bella.