Elizabeth Gilbert's Blog, page 71
April 28, 2014
ARE YOU FEELING MORE AFRAID THAN YOU NEED TO FEEL? Does this photo help? It he…
ARE YOU FEELING MORE AFRAID THAN YOU NEED TO FEEL?
Does this photo help?
It helps and inspires me.
I'm in London right now, and last night at dinner I sat next to a historian, and we got talking about the London Blitz — the 57 straight nights of German bombing raids that terrorized English citizens, destroyed great swaths of London, and left thousands dead.
As for how the English decided to comport themselves during the terror? Well, this photo tells the story:
Sit in the rubble of what was once your home and have a cup of tea.
You've heard of KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. You've seen that classic British wartime poster replicated a million times, in a millions forms, till the message has nearly become forgotten. But it's worth remembering, in earnest.
I think the modern western world has become way, way too afraid. We have been so safe and so prosperous and so comfortable for so long that we have become hyper-sensitive to even the faintest brushes of fear. Real and imagined terrors haunt us, and we magnify those terrors mightily. The news scares us, our food scares us, unwashed hands scare us, letting our children walk outside alone scares us, strangers scare us, traffic scares us, the weather scares us, change of any kind scares us, air travel scares us, not wearing sunscreen scares us, our shadows scare us…
We are far, far more afraid than we need to be. I say this not because the world is without risk, but only because we have deep, latent capacities for endurance and survival which most of us have forgotten about. Whatever the danger or the upheaval — real or imagined, emotional or material — we can work it through. Really, we can. People always have. Above all, we have the capacity to cultivate a willful dignity in the face of our fears. Look at this photo every once in a while, for an example of the horrors people have managed to handle calmly.
You have that in you, too — somewhere. Trust me on this.
And if all else fails, just sit for a moment, have a cup of tea, and reflect upon this calming truth: Whatever the chaos around you (real or imagined): You're still here.
Heart,
LG
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April 27, 2014
A friend of this page sent me this today and I thought it was great…it also re…
A friend of this page sent me this today and I thought it was great…it also reminds me of my own evolution about the word NO, which goes like this:
1) For most of my life I never said NO to anything or anyone, because I didn't know how.
2) Slowly I learned how to say NO to people I didn't like, and to things I did not want to do. This felt for a while like the highest teaching. But there is a higher teaching still…
3) Recently I have learned the hardest lesson of all: How to say NO sometimes to people whom you do love, and to things that you do want to do — based upon a compassionate comprehension of the limitations of your own energies, time and emotional capacity.
Which is to say: Sometimes you must gently refuse even some things which appeal to you, so that you can focus your limited human attention not only on what is important, but on what is possible.
All love,
LG
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Such a beautiful HAPPINESS JAR, all the way from Poland! Thank you for sharing,…
Such a beautiful HAPPINESS JAR, all the way from Poland! Thank you for sharing, Agnieszka!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
Dear Liz! After watching your TED talk today, I decided to share my Happy Jar with you. 
You may notice today's contrast between the happy sunny inside and the gloomy rainy outside. Don't we need both to appreciate life? 
Outside, you can see the lavender and my favorite flower of all, now in season and blooming in the background – the violet lilac tree.
I have taken up this gratitude practice this year that I had learned from your page and have been placing my happy thoughts in the jar right before bedtime. It gives me a sense of content and appreciation before I fall asleep, which is priceless and I thank you for it! And btw, your TED talk was so much in line with what I have written an hour ago in my journal – it gave me goosebumps and happy tears. We are all so connected at some inexplicable level and the support and motivation we can all give each other without being real world friends is amazing and real, even in the cyberspace. Thank you dear for being you and sharing yourself with us! <3 PS. I am trying to get your original SOAT here to read it exactly as you wrote it – can't wait! 
— in Elizabeth Gilbert - The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com.
April 26, 2014
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!! Take a moment to watch this wonderful video about two Du…
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!
Take a moment to watch this wonderful video about two Dutch grandmothers and their first experience on an airplane.
So beautiful. Made me cry. And made me want to see the world with new eyes…
Elizabeth Gilbert - The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com.
I needed some Dolly today. Actually, every day.
I needed some Dolly today. Actually, every day.
via Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook Wall
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April 25, 2014
My new TED talk, everyone! Just released today…enjoy! http://bit.ly/1k1jnRu…
My new TED talk, everyone!
Just released today…enjoy!
LG
Success, failure and the drive to keep creating
www.ted.com
Elizabeth Gilbert was once an "unpublished diner waitress," devastated by rejection letters. And yet, in the wake of the success of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' she found herself identifying strongly with her former self. With beautiful insight, Gilbert reflects on why success can be as disorienting as failur…
via Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook Wall
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I love this…in place of a bathroom mirror!
I love this…in place of a bathroom mirror!
via Elizabeth Gilbert’s Facebook Wall
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HELLO LONDON!! Dear Ones: I have arrived in wonderful London, and under the ni…
HELLO LONDON!!
Dear Ones:
I have arrived in wonderful London, and under the nicest circumstances. THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS has been nominated for the WELLCOME PRIZE — an award honoring the best writing of the year on the subject of health, science and medicine.
This is pretty amazing, as SOAT is the only novel of the year to have been shortlisted. (Alma would be so pleased to know she had joined, at last, the ranks of serious scientific thinkers!)
I will be participating in two events while I'm here…
1) This Saturday afternoon, for free, in conversation at the Wellcome Center: http://bit.ly/QKrR6L
2) This Sunday afternoon, I'll be giving a talk at Wilton's, along with two of the other nominees:
http://bit.ly/1fxeU6u
The winner of The Wellcome Prize will be announced next week…wish Alma luck!
All love,
LG
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April 24, 2014
Hooray! Spring yard sale at my shop, Two Buttons! Come visit! www.twobuttons.com
Hooray! Spring yard sale at my shop, Two Buttons! Come visit!
Elizabeth Gilbert - The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com.
