First off, Julia Roberts is one of my favorite actresses of all time. She is known for her blockbuster hits like, Closer, Ocean’s Twelve and My Best Friend’s Wedding… But, I love her because she still produces the same caliber of work in even the lesser-known movies (The ones that I really love)… This includes how she transforms into a “rebellious” college art professor in Mona Lisa Smile or the young wife of an older father of three in StepMom. Oh, and everyone loved her performance in the all-time favorite hit, Pretty Woman. I mean, come on. She played the heck out of that prostitute roll! She is elegant and effortless in her polished acting skills. So, I just knew that she was going to be wonderlicious in this new movie, Eat Pray Love. (Yeah, I made that word up. So what?)
Second of all, I had heard the story. I’m a religious viewer of Oprah. Every day at 4pm, I am either Tivo-ing or watching Oprah on my small 19” television screen. So, of course, I had already heard of Elizabeth Gilbert and her best-selling book, Eat Pray Love. Her story was fascinating to me. The thought of living in three different countries within a year sounded exhilarating, daring, and a great plan to “center” oneself. I’m a lover of traveling. (No surprise after I traveled to four different countries within 12 days last spring break) One woman audacious enough to travel one year with no other “road dogs” to take along?! Brilliant!!! I wasn’t sure if I was in agreement with the way that she ended and began relationships before she left for her soul-searching trip. But, I was totally for the trip itself!
So, needless to repeat, I was ecstatic about going to see this movie! Before I left, I made sure that I was completely prepared for this journey to the movies. I put on a comfy outfit that consisted of stretch pants, sleeveless shirt, flats, and (or course!) a cute movie sweater. I was ready to enjoy this movie with great friends. So, I gladly paid the $10.00 it took to get a ticket, got a great seat, and sat down prepared to be swept away by the brilliant acting expertise of Julia and the invigorating power of traveling abroad! After a slew of previews (some funny, some not), it was finally time! The movie began…
Blah, blah, blah… Let’s skip to the end.
When I credits started to roll, I was so tired that I had the mind to just try and sleep underneath the movie seats until the morning. The movie had tired me out. I was bored and confused at the same time. And, to be honest, I didn’t know why. My friends and I all agreed that the movie was not what we expected… but, we couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was missing. Weird. After dropping my friend off and getting home, all my energy had left the building. So, I hit the sack without giving the movie a second thought. But, I promised myself that I would offer some brainpower to this movie in the morning.
Morning came and I activated the brainpower… it took me a while, but I found out what I rubbed me the wrong way in the movie. It was Liz. She moved from relationship to relationship in search of herself. The problem with that was after all that searching, I don’t feel like she succeeded in her relentless search for Liz. From beginning to end, she listened to words of wisdom from Delia (her best friend), Stephen (her husband), David (her young boyfriend), Sofi (her friend from Italy), Richard (her friend from India), Ketut (her advisor from Bali), Felipe (her last love), etc. And even though she talked throughout the entire film, she did not listen to herself… her inner self. She only decided on a couple of things without being told by someone else what to do.
Now, don’t get me wrong… there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking wise counsel from someone else. I do it all the time. (Just ask my mother.) But, there is something wrong when you are almost completely dependent on other’s opinions. Yes, everyone that Liz talked to was wise beyond measure. My question is… when is Liz going to tap into her supply of wisdom? I ask for advice from others often. However, usually, I either already know what I’m going to do or I make the final decision after speaking with someone else. Liz did not seem to do this. She would take the mess of her situations to the other person and they would pretty much make the decision for her without any of her input. I disagree with this. I would not be as fervent about this topic with Liz if the movie had ended different… (SPOILER WARNING!) At the end of the movie, Liz had made up her mind that she was going to leave Felipe even though she wanted to stay with him. She, of course, went to Ketut to discuss the issue and he advised to her stay with Felipe. That is all she needed. As soon as she was done meeting with Ketut, she went back to Felipe and made out with him (and sailed off into the “in between”)
Hold it! Think about this! Would she have made that decision without Ketut’s advice?! No! Come on, Liz!!! Time to start thinking for yourself and making some decisions on your own!
Soooo… they say that life is full of lessons. I agree. There is a lesson from this movie (that I got, at least). The lesson is “Learn to Listen to You.” That’s right. Listen to yourself. People will always be able to give sound advice and that is all fine and dandy. However, you know yourself best. So, it is up to you to decide how happy you will be in a situation. Listen to others. Seek and receive advice. Sit down for coffee, tea, or pasta with a good friend and take in all the instruction that they have to offer. But, then, when you get home, sit down and tell yourself what you want. Close your mouth and listen to your heart. Your heart. Not what everyone else is saying, but what you are saying.
Just shut up and speak to yourself. I’m sure that you have a lot to say…and hear.
-bnc
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