Elizabeth Gilbert's Blog, page 64
May 28, 2014
Dear Ones — I woke up this morning feeling incredibly grateful to you. I’m al…
Dear Ones —
I woke up this morning feeling incredibly grateful to you.
I'm always grateful to you, of course, but this morning my gratitude seemed doubled, and I think I know why.
Allow me to explain. Yesterday I read the article in Vanity Fair that Monica Lewinsky wrote about "The Culture of Humiliation" and the years that she has spent enduring public shame. If you haven't read this article, do read it. It's intelligent and thoughtful and self-accountable and completely absent of cheap self-pity. Her essay holds up a mirror to the some of the most disturbing realities about our contemporary culture of gossip and humiliation. She particularly discusses what a toxic and bullying place the Internet can be. (Monica was the first, but not the last, Internet casualty.) And she is absolutely right: The Internet can be a monster.
Of course, the Internet can also be a place of rich humanity and shared grace — depending completely upon how it's used.
My feeling about the Internet is that it's neither good nor evil; it is deeply morally neutral. It has no consciousness of its own. It becomes what we make of it. It's just a hugely powerful neutral energy source (like the sun, or money) which can be harnessed by humans to either destroy or create.
We blame and praise the Internet constantly for its impact, but when we do so, we speak of it as if it is something separate from us, when really it is just US. It is nothing but a portrait of us, in all our meanness and all our goodness.
So I woke up this morning wanting to thank you all for having made this page, at least, into an oasis of creativity and kindness and positivity. I hesitated for years to sign up for Facebook — afraid of opening myself up to the attacks of trolls and brickbats. But in the year and half that I've had this page, all you have ever offered me is love and generosity, and a willingness to be open and searching, as well as playful and absurd. You are always good to me, and you are always good to each other.
I have come to love it here. I look forward every morning to visiting this page and encountering your voices and your thoughts. The sense of connectedness, intelligence and shared aspiration uplifts me more than you might know.
You took this massive neutral energy source and you shaped into something small and lovely here. That means the world to me.
It's a pleasure to know you, is what I'm saying. And thank you.
Heart,
LG
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May 27, 2014
HAPPY READING!
HAPPY READING!
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A 7 year-old boy named Baylor needs a bone transplant — ideally from somebody of…
A 7 year-old boy named Baylor needs a bone transplant — ideally from somebody of mixed Asian-Caucasian background, between the ages of 18 – 44. Is there a chance it might be you, who could save this child?
Baylor's chances of finding a match are 70,000 to 1. But we have 185,000 people who follow this page — and you all have your friends, too. Let's try to make this happen?
Read on, and please SHARE.
With love,
LG
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
Hi Liz:
Here is a draft posting re: Baylor for you to share. Please let me know if this is too long winded and you need me to edit down in some way.
Words fail. Most sincere thanks.
"Immense graditude to Liz Gilbert, champion arbiter of kindness and right action in sharing this story on her page.
7 year old Baylor Fredrickson, first diagnosed with AML (a rare form of Leukemia) when he was 5 has recently relapsed after 2 years in remission and is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life. Baylor's best chance for survival is to receive his transplant from a donor of mixed race (ideally Asian/Caucasian). His chances of finding this kind of donor profile are 70,000 to 1. Baylor's health is deteriorating every day and he needs help now. Here are some things you can do immediately to lend a hand:
1) Contact http://www.aadp.org to send for a test kit via mail if you are between the ages of 18-44 years old. Baylor's family has already culled both the US and International databases and so far no match has been found. You could be that needle in a haystack to save Baylor's life by registering today.
2) Find your local Bone Marrow Donor registry (wherever you live). Donor programs can be found world wide at: http://ift.tt/1kH3Bhi. You do NOT need to leave your country to donate if you are found to be a match. The testing process is painless, takes about 10 minutes and could provide Baylor or someone else in need of this kind of donor match (currently 12,000 patients are waiting and hoping to find their mixed race match) the chance to live a full and happy life.
3) If you can't register given your age or any other medical conditions that restrict you from being a suitable donor, you can volunteer to organize or lead a donor drive in your area. Please contact Ruby Law via email: ruby@aadp.org to help identify a key contact in your area. She can also answer many FAQ about how to help.
4) Your financial contribution will help greatly to subsidize the cost of testing for those who qualify (It costs $100/registrant for these wonderful organizations to analyze the results of each potential donor) and/or to help the family with mounting medical bills and other expenses due to loss of wages in order for Baylor's mom to remain with Baylor while he is confined to the hospital. Donations on Baylor's behalf can be made in any amount via: http://ift.tt/1thzbDm
And here finally is a link to Baylor's FB page: http://ift.tt/RuHqjr. Please share widely and immediately with anyone in your network who might be in a position to help. The more people who know about Baylor's plight, the better his chances are of beating this insidious disease.
Follow Liz Gilbert's open hearted example. Please share, please register, please help in any way you can. Baylor needs you to step in and step up. Do it today"
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May 26, 2014
…and there it is.
…and there it is.
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HOW TO BEGIN… Dear Ones – I found this note on my iPhone last night, when I…
HOW TO BEGIN…
Dear Ones -
I found this note on my iPhone last night, when I was deleting some old files. I had joted this down back when I was beginning to write THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS. I had already spent almost three years doing research for the novel, and now it was time to see if I could actually build the thing.
Building things can be hard. I knew that I would be frustrated during the writing of the novel, and that I would likely disappoint myself at times. I knew also that I am capable of over-dramatizing my process, of getting swept away by the challenge, and collapsing into fear and self-pity when creativity isn't going in my favor.
So I made this vow to not turn the work into a battlefield.
Just show up and work — that was my intention. Do it with dignity and grace, and ask for divine help.
That's a lot to try to put on an iPhone note, but I think it was important!
What are you working on, everyone? And what have you promised yourself about it? Take a moment, make a vow, write a prayer. Then keep working.
Onward!
LG
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The beautiful new paperback edition of THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS is coming in…
The beautiful new paperback edition of THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS is coming in less than a month!
June 24, my loves! June 24!
(Just in time to slip into your beach bag…because, finally, it's FULLY PORTABLE!)
Click here for my full tour schedule…and come see me:
Elizabeth Gilbert - The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com.
May 25, 2014
PLEASE WATCH THIS… Dear Ones — I had the honor to hear this speech live at t…
PLEASE WATCH THIS…
Dear Ones —
I had the honor to hear this speech live at the TED conference back in March of this year.
This is the luminous Andrew Solomon, speaking about the ways that suffering, pain and exclusion can shape our lives in surprisingly beautiful ways.
I love this man. He is a bringer of light.
I wept when I saw this live, and I wept again when I watched it right now.
Have a beautiful Sunday, dear ones…
LG
How the worst moments in our lives make us who we are
www.ted.com
Writer Andrew Solomon has spent his career telling stories of the hardships of others. Now he turns inward, bringing us into a childhood of adversity, while also spinning tales of the courageous people he's met in the years since. In a moving, heartfelt and at times downright funny talk, Solomon giv…
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THANK YOU to Sue, for making this! Onward, brave ones. Onward. LG
THANK YOU to Sue, for making this!
Onward, brave ones. Onward.
LG
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THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in, I believe, Danish? So lovely!
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in, I believe, Danish?
So lovely!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
My eldest son gave me your book about Alma for Christmas. It was a great adventure reading it! Thank you!
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