Eat. Pray. Love.

I am re-reading one of my favorite travel memoirs on my 2-week road trip through the Front Range. Eat. Pray. Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is a cleverly constructed, and often times humorous, true story about a women, that when her life falls apart, sets off on a year long pilgrimage to find “worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence”. She travels to three different countries, spending four months in each.

She starts in Italy to Eat and experience the pleasure of yummy food. Then she spends 4 months in an ashram in India to Pray. It is here that she comes to more fully understand the Zen saying “You cannot see your reflection in running water, only in still water." She concludes the year in Indonesia, where she lives in community to integrate Pleasure and God to experience and embrace balance and Love in her life.

The construct of this book serves as a perfect guidebook for my journey. I too am going to 3 destinations (Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs). I decide to read one section per place, and let the themes of her travels influence mine.

My first location is Denver. My intention is to explore the city as a possible new place to live. I hang out in different communities, go to coffee shops, city parks and public attractions to meet the people that live there and tap into the vibe of this town. I do have an intention to eat a lot as well. I need to make sure there is good Thai food and good Mexican food if I am going to live here (there is).

The second leg of my adventure takes me to Boulder, a smaller city deeper in the mountains. This is where Naropa University is located. I have a dream of going to this college to get my Masters Degree in Somatic Psychology. I meet the head of the department and sit in on a Movement Therapy class to experience the energy of the school. I take the contents of the class with me into the mountains were I pray for 3 days. And yes, I did buy prayer beads in Boulder, which are featured on the cover of this book.

My final destination is Colorado Springs. I have several friends in the area, one of which I have known for over 20 years. They are a great group of Harley Davidson Bike riders and avid Rocky Mountain campers. I stay with them for several days, sinking into the joyful experience of community and love created from friendship and camaraderie.

Eat. Pray. Love. is an amazing book. I highly recommend you read it. This was my third time reading it, and it still inspires me to expand more fully into the moment and into the magic of adventure. It is here, in the fullness of the now that I am able to open up to receive the pleasure of love and the continual embrace of God.

If you would like to see images from the first part of my trip, see YouTube Video Creations on the side bar.