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Eat, Pray, Love !!!

January 5, 2017
white-bougainvillea-flowers-aspire-eat-love-pray

white-bougainvillea-flowers-aspire-eat-love-pray

When I first watched this movie – Eat, Pray, Love – some 6 years back, I simply couldn’t relate to it and dismissed it. The book was even worse and I couldn’t get past 4-5 pages. So that was that.

Cut to 2016, a lot of emotional upheavals later, I caught the tail end of this movie on one of the channels. What do you know? I could relate to it and suddenly I couldn’t wait to see it whole. So then I set out to do just that and it has become a sort of anthem kinda movie for me now. I found so many messages in this movie and could relate to such a lot of stuff, that I am amazed I hated it in the first place.

I have started seeing patterns in my day-to-day life which I have been trying to decipher. I have started to practice meditation on a daily basis and finding peace and balance in that time.

white-bougainvillea-flowers-aspire-eat-love-pray

So it’s no wonder that when I read these lines today, they struck a chord with me – I just had to sit down and reflect on them:

“What you focus on, expands

What you resist, persists.”

This resonates with an issue I am currently facing over a personal relationship. I tend to make friends very quickly; blame it on my curious nature which doesn’t judge but asks questions and let’s people in, let’s them open up, just let’s them be. I have been told often by people (strangers n friends alike) that I am easy to talk to.
So when it comes to people walking out, or not putting in similar efforts or things just not working out – I have such a hard time getting go. I hurt over it every time and then I wonder why do I make friends? Why do I get so emotional over it?
I keep going over these “failures” and make myself thoroughly miserable. I keep recreating scenarios in my head over how I can improve it, bring it back , make it alright – till I am sick in the head.
These lines made me pause and reflect . They are so apt for me and just the Inspiration I need to channelise my efforts and feelings into the things which I really want and can make work. So this relationship has not worked out, I should take my learnings from it and just let it go. I cannot for sure force the person to like me or want to be with me – yet I keep resisting and make it worse for me every day. I need to change my pattern a bit here.

It’s like I should set my daily intentions and focus my energies on making them happen. Issues which are not working, I need to give acceptance and let them go without kicking too much of a fuss. For why do things happen, is only revealed when the final picture emerges.

 I need to practice patience and wait for things to work out; for things to come to me – rather than fighting change by digging in both my heels.
I would love to hear your views on these lines? Do they call out to you too?

 

I am linking this as day#5 post for the Ultimate Blog Challenge

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25 thoughts on “Eat, Pray, Love !!!”

    1. Thanks Mayura- I am really enjoying reading via UBC and writing too. Its gets me in a habit – I kinda am the sorts that needs a sword hanging over the head to write 😉

  2. I bury myself in work to avoid thoughts I don’t want to face. Writing was one such coping strategy. But at then end we need to face no? I try. Patience yes. But you also need to learn , let go and try coming out of it. Scenarios running only leads to destruction.
    So when I run out of patience I repeat this-Everything happens for a reason. You ll know the reason soon.

    1. Thanks Ramya. Yeah running away works only for a while, and I feel do that too as a coping mechanism. Facing upto my fears and accepting something is not working out – without guilt – can be very very tough! Thankfully, I am learning to let go and ever since meditation has become a regular practice – this is becoming easier as the days go by!
      I pray your trials end soon to let you enjoy the success of all the pain and tribulations!! Cheers

  3. There’s a lot of truth to this. Take dieting for example, what happens if you decide you aren’t allowed to have some favorite treat ever again? Well, if you are like me you think about that treat, you obsess over it, you look for times when you will be allowed to make exceptions to the rule.
    By contrast, what happens if I decide that I am going to focus on meeting my nutritional needs, rather than limiting my choices, in that case I am choosing to eat things that provide me with proteins and vitamins and fiber, in doing so, I find myself feeling full, and not obsessing over what I can’t have.
    On occasion, when I have the craving for that treat, I let myself have a little, but not that much, because I am not hungry, because I am full of nutritionally dense food.
    By focusing on the negative, what I can’t have, I make it difficult on myself… but by focusing on the positive, what I can and should have, I make things easy on myself.

    1. Love your example Vicki- its putting things into perspective and focusing on the positive vs the negative. We build up our expectations without a reality check and thats why feel let down when things dont work out!

  5. I am the opposite. I am shy, painfully so, and it is hard for me to initiate a conversation (except online, where it is usually easy). What I’ve learned is that a person changes constantly. No surprise that a book that didn’t move you six years ago moves you now – it’ because you aren’t the person you were six years ago. And you will change, again and again, and move closer to the ideal person you see yourself as -no worries about that!

    1. How right you are- person changes constantly! What I am today – will certainly change a year down the line too. Thanks Alana – this is a beautiful perspective for me!

  6. ‘Eat Pray Love ‘- I loved the book but did not quite like the movie. I loved the way you wrote your journey with this book. I always feel stories have two distinct lines of action, one which you read in a book and another is the story of your personal journey with the book. You writing flows like a river, bookmarking your blog will come here to read more. Happy to have discovered to Write Tribe

    1. Hi Nupur- thank you for the kind words; I loved your blog too a nd have bookmarked it for more visits.
      The journey happened only via a personal connect and now I am just hooked onto the movie – its an all time favourite with me

  7. This is what I believe in deeplt. But it’s a struggle doing it everyday.
    Absolutely loved that you wrote about making friends. I am so glad you do make friends easily.That’s a blessing.The people who let ypu go .It’s their loss

    1. Thanks so much Amrita- yeah making friends is a second habit to me. I have friends as young as 25 yrs and as old as 60 yrs- I love chatting with people and after a while I think age doesnt matter; the conversation is all thats important!

  8. What you resist, persists – It resonates with me too. I embrace change most of the times but sometimes, it gets too hard to let go. But then I need to remember this.

  9. These lines resonate with what I’ve been practicing these past months. Gratitude, forgiveness and perseverance: with self and others. I don’t resist, just observe and accept, and I thank the Universe for all that I’ve received.

    1. Thats so aweosme to hear Damyanti. I am hoping to make progress in the same direction. Universe shows me everyday how much love is out there for my taking; if only I would accept and reach out!

  10. ‘Where focus goes, energy flows’ is another version of the lines you shared, Shalini.
    I always go with my gut instinct, if patience is needed then i step back, but if not then i am proactive.
    And this is how I learn.
    I love the picture you’ve used in this post:)
    P:S: I LOVED reading and watching Eat, Pray, Love when I was single:)

    1. I agree M – these lines are gorgeous too. Thank so much for sharing your wisdom- always a bright spot in my day! Patience- sigh!!!! I really need to practice it

  12. we all face struggles and life becomes tough. Sometimes we become emotional & hurt ourselves. Yes, patience is needed. Writing is easy but it’s difficult to live those moments. Close your eyes and believe that good would come soon. Go with the flow

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