I am a Julia Roberts fan; I read and love the idea of the book “Eat, Pray Love” (EPL), and tonight I will be in the theater watching the movie.

That said, the first time I read the book, I hated it.  Then I saw the trailers with Roberts, and the movie looked interesting to me. I quickly realized I had been reacting to the “voice” of the EPL messenger not the message, so I decided to reread the book. Surprise, surprise, I found lots of little gems from Elizabeth Gilbert  between the pages.

I think the best part of Gilbert’s story is it reminds us that creating the life we want is possible.

So as your self-appointed fairy godmother, I am waving my wand and you now have three wonderfully rich, delicious, life-enhancing, soul-infusing, EPL-type wishes.

To me WISHES are:

W – What 

I –  I

S – Seek

H – Hope

E – Enjoy

S – Savor

You are free to choose the moments, the people and the places that you hope for, seek and want to enjoy and savor.  Go ahead, you can do it . . . put your personal “Eat, Pray, Love” journey down on paper. Jot, doodle, draw, write, type, or paint your way to your dreams.

Doesn’t matter if you love or hate the book, the movie, Gilbert, or Roberts, don’t let that distract you.

This is about you, your wishes and your life.   

Where would you go and what would you eat?

One of my favorite personal EPL moments involved eating lots of calamari.  A big scoop of lightly breaded and fried calamari in a white wax paper cone for 2 euros as I strolled around small town markets in Italy. Day after day I treated myself to this inexpensive delight.  A year or so later,  I found myself focusing on a plate full of fresh, creamy-white calamari, dripping with olive oil and lemon juice on the Island of Corfu in Greece at Easter. Mmm, so good and the memories are so vivid. I look forward to my next calamari encounter.

What’s in your food future?

Where would you go to pray or for a retreat?

Another easy one for me, the small rural village of Dihovo in Macedonia where my heart swells as I walk the narrow, softly winding roads and my eyes feast on the old stone houses with their clay tile roofs weathered by wind and wars.  I spent many days and nights there during Peace Corps and will be back again this fall.  I am heading to Macedonia for two months this September and will be helping four American first-timers and one returnee enjoy “my” Macedonia, which will include time for me in Dihovo – eating, laughing, praying, relaxing and reveling in moments great and small. 

Where are you headed?

What type of love are you looking for?  Where will you go to find it? 

My house in Florida.  That’s where I read about and learned how to practice Yoga Nidra after years of failed meditation attempts.  Not all of our dreams need grand locales or even other people. Being good to ourselves is a form of love, and remember what Dorothy learned in the “Wizard of OZ” – “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”  The love we seek is often closer than we think and can be found in a child’s smile, a lover’s eyes, a friend’s words of support, a pet’s attention, a quiet moment, or by treating ourselves exceptionally well. (More about Yoga Nidra in future posts.) 

What does your “love” life look like?

No matter which side of the book or movie you have settled on – pro or con, I believe it is nice to have reminders that creating the life we want is possible and worth the effort.

Give it a try this weekend.  My wand is waiting, your wish is my command.