Elizabeth Gilbert's Blog, page 31
September 2, 2014
I could not resist the sweetness of this request…I’m going to do it! Join me i…
I could not resist the sweetness of this request…I'm going to do it! Join me if you wish. (And don't forget to send a postcard to YOUR grandmother, too!)
Odd favor, Liz. Would you think of getting the word out? I'd love to get 90 postcards to my gramma to cheer her up! FRIENDS! I have an odd favor to ask of EVERYONE! Could you please send postcards to my grandmother? She fell last week and is getting very depressed at the fact that she's 90 and many of her friends have died. She's an AMAZING woman, and loved to travel in her day. So, just tell her you know me, you were thinking of her, and wanted to send her a postcard from an interesting place! From ANYWHERE is fine! Spain to South Dakota, Nebraska to New Zealand. Details:Elizabeth Newcombe Crabtree822 Lisa Kay Dr.St. Louis, MO 63122-3128(p.s. She is originally from Vermont and misses it, so any friends who have ties there, if you could get a family member to send her a postcard that would be amazing)
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I love this! THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS reaches New Zealand, and stands (perfec…
I love this! THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS reaches New Zealand, and stands (perfectly) at the intersection of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks! SO COOL!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS – Kindle edition in my wee hometown of Whitby, Wellington, New Zealand. Coincidentally, the streets are named after all things Captain Cook! 
xx
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September 1, 2014
QUESTION OF THE DAY: How do you cope with all the horrible news in the world? I…
QUESTION OF THE DAY: How do you cope with all the horrible news in the world?
I received this question yesterday from a young woman who follows this page, who posted her thoughts about how depressing and anxiety-producing the world's news is these days. She's not sure how to manage it all. As an intelligent and thoughtful person, she feels an obligation to stay in touch with what's happening…but then she is dragged into despair by the suffering and sorrows that she sees on TV.
I was friends with a monk in India who spoke about this subject a lot, and what I remember her saying is that we must be compassionate and aware about the sorrows of the world — but that we also must be aware of the limitations of what our senses can bear. Remember that your eyes and your ears are nothing the servants of your soul. Your eyes and and ears will look at anything and listen to anything that you put in front of them. Your senses can only obey your will. You must be compassionately aware of much your senses can bear. If you know that your soul will be harmed or haunted or destroyed by what you are watching or hearing, turn away. Take a break. Give your soul and your senses a pause, to restore themselves.
This does not mean living in a bubble. None of us can afford to live in a bubble — not in a world that needs engaged people. But find another way to express your compassion and your concern for the world, besides sitting in front of CNN for three straight hours, being assaulted by an endless parade of global horrors.
I am political. I follow the news, I vote, I advocate, I have petitioned my congressmen (in person, by phone, by mail). I have walked in protest marches, I have knocked on doors to register voters, I have gone to Washington to personally lobby for gay rights and marriage equality, I contribute to local and international organizations that support women's reproductive health and freedom, I give to charities that help the homeless and the poor and refugees, both here and abroad. I know what's going on. But I refuse to saturate my mind with the darkest images that are available to us 24 hours a day now, thanks to the omnipotence and ubiquitousness of media. Because consuming that media without pause would be abusive and dehumanizing to my senses (we were never meant to see such awful images in flickering repetition — again and again and again, every hour on the hour) and the harm that this would cause me would serve nobody, help nobody.
Here is my advice: Choose the time and manner in which you will take in your news, and choose it carefully. I read some carefully selected intelligent newspapers in the morning, and then I stop. No more for the day. No more. And absolutely no TV news before bed. Absolutely not. The media won't stop its coverage for you — so you must draw the line somewhere. This is not irresponsible of you; it is RESPONSIBLE.
Also, remember this: We do not live in a time of special horror — no matter how it seems. Every generation has known its horrors. So it has always been, and probably always will be. It is our duty to be aware of these horrors, and to help where we can. But as all the great masters have taught us for centuries —we also have a duty to delight. We find our humanity, our restoration, in delight. We live in a world of both suffering and joy. Both are equal realities. To turn all your attention toward one (suffering) while completely disregarding the presence of the other (joy) is a pity — maybe almost a sin.
I have a friend whose mother — a Holocaust survivor — used to say to him when he was a morose teenager, "Why don't you want to go have FUN? You live in such a beautiful world! Why don't you go outside and play some TENNIS? It's such a glorious day!" This woman's entire family had been shot before her eyes, yet still she pursued joy. Still, she knew a beautiful day when she saw one. And sometimes — as she well knew — you really have to go outside and play some tennis in the sun. Or else evil wins.
In my favorite poem (a poem that I read like a prayer) my favorite poet Jack Gilbert (no relation) says this: "To make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the Devil." He goes on to say, "We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of the world."
The poem is called A BRIEF FOR THE DEFENSE — and it is a stubborn and passionate defense of joy in the midst of suffering. This is how you beat the devil: Through joy. Do not turn your back on the ruthless furnace of the world, but do not turn your back on the world's delights, either.
In other words: Turn off your TV for a while today, for god's sake, and go outside and play.
(The entire poem A BRIEF FOR THE DEFENSE can be found here: http://bit.ly/1tToCJT)
Be stubborn in your gladness.
ONWARD,
LG
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August 31, 2014
Dear faithful floor! Has never let me down yet… :) LG
Dear faithful floor! Has never let me down yet…
LG
via Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook Wall
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THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS on an Aussie beach!
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS on an Aussie beach!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
I love your new book! Greetings from Avoca Beach, New South Wales, Australia
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THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS and an adorable photo from Florida!
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS and an adorable photo from Florida!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
… dear sweet Liz … thank you for hosting my holiday read???? sending so much love from Florida ??????????
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August 30, 2014
Thought of the day: KEEP LOOKING. I was hanging out with my dad this morning,…
Thought of the day: KEEP LOOKING.
I was hanging out with my dad this morning, and he was talking about his days in the Navy. He was remembering this little conversation he overheard one day — almost 50 years ago — between an officer and a sailor on the watch deck. The officer had alerted the sailor that radar indicated a ship approaching, not very far from them. The sailor was looking for the mystery ship in his binoculars.
"Can you see it?" the officer asked.
"No, sir," the sailor replied with great earnestness. "But I ALMOST can!"
Of course it's a sweet and delusional reply — because you either see something or you don't, right? It's certainly not a very militarily precise reply.
And yet…
Don't you know this feeling? I've had it so many times in prayer and meditation. I've also had this feeling while I'm writing, and I've had it while I'm searching for solutions to problems in my personal life. I can't see it (divinity, transcendence, forgiveness, grace, the fix) but I believe that I ALMOST can…and that brings me hope, and keeps me searching.
I think that for most of my life, I have ALMOST seen the mystery ship — all the answers, way over there on the dim horizon. I can at least imagine someday seeing it. So I optimistically keep peering, I keep squinting, and I'm pretty sure most days that I've nearly just about halfway gotten close to almost seeing it.
Maybe almost seeing it is good enough.
Makes the ocean feel less lonely.
Keep looking, dear ones,
Heart,
LG
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THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in one of my favorite spots in the world. Thanks, Ch…
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in one of my favorite spots in the world. Thanks, Chris!
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Greetings from Maine and a gorgeous sunrise view on Cadillac Mountain!
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BIG sale on jewelry this weekend at my shop, Two Buttons! (www.twobuttons.com)….
BIG sale on jewelry this weekend at my shop, Two Buttons! (Elizabeth Gilbert - The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com.
August 29, 2014
TEN BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME (OK, 20. OK, 21. But who’s counting?) Sever…
TEN BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME
(OK, 20. OK, 21. But who's counting?)
Several of you lately have been sending me this 10 books challenge list — wherein, off the top of your head, you list 10 books that have been important to you in your life. Some of you have asked for mine.
Because I cannot follow rules, I did 21. Ten non-fiction, ten fiction. Just what came for the top of my head. And a bonus.
Non-fiction:
START FROM WHERE YOU ARE, by Pema Chodron
POSER, by Claire Dederer
HARLEY LOCO, by Rayya Elias
THE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN, by Anne Fadiman
BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey
THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY, by Maira Kalman
THE RINGS OF SATURN, by W.G. Sebald
THE MEADOWLANDS, by Robert Sullivan
WHEN WANDERERS CEASE TO ROAM, By Vivian Swift
A THREE DOG LIFE, by Abigail Thomas
Fiction:
THE CHILDREN'S BOOK, by A.S. Byatt
GREAT EXPECTATIONS, by Charles Dickens
PORTRAIT OF A LADY, by Henry James
THE SUMMER BOOK, by Tove Jansson
ALL AUNT HAGAR'S CHILDREN, by Edward P. Jones
WOLF HALL, by Hilary Mantel
WANT NOT, by Jonathan Miles
HATESHIP FRIENDSHIP COURTSHIP LOVESHIP MARRIAGE, by Alice Munro
BEL CANTO, by Ann Patchett
THE MASTER, by Colm Toibin
But if I can take just one book, to the proverbial desert island? LEAVES OF GRASS, by Walt Whitman. I would spend the rest of my life memorizing it. Then I would walk around the island chanting SONG OF MYSELF forever. Not a bad way to live out your days on a desert island.
Lastly, here is a picture of my bright and happy new office!
What are your favorite books, all?
LG
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