reading self-indulgence

Thank you for leaving such comforting comments. I don't know why the heck I feel like I'm being self-indulgent for crying--especially since I would never say that towards anyone else--but sometimes I'm just a crazy guarded person who has this insane idea that I need to put on a brave and happy face all the time. I don't know about myself sometimes. Just weird, I guess.

One small unexpected pleasure amidst this week of turmoil has been a book I picked up. I had reserved it at the library months ago, when I was in the mood to read it, and when it finally came around to my turn to check it out I did so only because I was afraid I'd have to wait months more before it would come back around to me. While it got some fabulous reviews, a cursory glance through the Amazon reviews let me know that some people hate this book. Therefore, I started the book with very low expectations. If I hate it, I told myself, I won't read it.

Instead, I'm loving it. Or at least, am feeling entertained by it. Surely many of you have already read Eat, Pray, Love on account of it being a bestseller and all. Perhaps you loved it; perhaps not so much. As for me, however, I'm just enjoying it for what it is and not worrying about what it isn't. I think I needed to read about someone finding her way out of depression, even though Ms. Gilbert and I are quite different individuals. One of the major complaints against the book is how self-indulgent the author is, but so far (and I just finished the first section about her travels through Italy) it doesn't bother me. Sometimes, as I have discovered and learned and realized over the course of the last 24 hours, self-indulgence is okay in small doses. Especially when it involves pedicures, good books, or accepting that it's okay to cry about the messy house sometimes.

Anyways, it's not a perfect book, but that's okay. I'm not a perfect reader.

*****

(c) 2008 by Creature Bug. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Margaret]

We read it for Book Club, and I wasn't a fan(one of the haters actually)--but it is a good thing to read, given your feelings at the moment. I liked the Italy part pretty well, minus the constant whining about the ex-boyfriend, and guilt about the ex-husband. Enjoy and relax!

[ally bean]

I adored Eat, Pray, Love. I never thought of the author as a whiner, but as a very self-aware and brave seeker. I consider the story to be a cautionary tale about how far a woman can fall into despair if she is not vigilant about attending to her own spiritual and emotional needs. And to me, taking a year off to find herself in such a unique way is inspiring and refreshing. No years in therapy, just action based on trusting how to heal yourself.

[Rachel]

Stephanie, I hope you are doing better! Please make sure you know that you can always come over and "play", for a change of scenery if you need it!
I haven't read the book but I gave it to my mom for Christmas. I heard it was pretty good!

[Heather]

I felt much the same way about the book. I really enjoyed it, but sometimes found myself being a little judgemental of her self-indulgence... and, truthfully, a little jealous of her ability to take a year off to travel and "find herself".

[gretchen from lifenut]

I read the Italy portion. That was all I could do.

Essentially, I read a short book called Eat.

[raehan]

I also enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, even though Elizabeth Gilbert could be annoying at times (I wouldn't say she was exactly self-indulgent...).

I thought there were a lot of gems of insight in the book about communicating with God, and I also loved the characters she met along the way.