Rabbithole of the Week: Elizabeth Gilbert

Sometimes the Internet leads me down delightful paths of inspiration and loveliness that can almost make me forget about all the hours I've wasted looking at IMDB and parterre.com and photos of celebrities' babies.

Via swissmiss I found some videos of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of, most famously, Eat Pray Love, but also one of my favorite marriage books, Committed, which I recommend for anyone married, thinking about getting married, opposed to marriage, or just curious. Watching these videos I was struck by wise and articulate she is. She is unapologetic about the live she has lived thus far and incredibly adept at identifying what she needs and making sure she gets it. If you have a bit of time, listen to her speak in these videos. Inspiring, right?

If you have 6 minutes:


"Later in your life, whatever you decide today, that subsequently information may arise that makes you realize you made the wrong decision, but please do not abuse yourself for the choice that you made, when all you knew was what you know today."


If you have 20 minutes:


"It seems obvious that there comes a period in your life when you have to learn to say no to things that you don't want to do, but I think the biggest, trickiest lesson in holding onto the stalwart commitment to your creativity is learning how to say no to things you do want to do."


If you have another 20 minutes:


"I'm a mule, and the way that I have to work is I have to get up at the same time every day, and sweat and labor through it really awkwardly. But even I, in my mulishness, even I have brushed up against that thing, at times. You know, even I have had work or ideas come through me from a source that I honestly cannot identify. And what is that thing? And how are we to relate to it in a way that will not make us lose our minds, but, in fact, might actually keep us sane?"