The book and movie, “Eat Pray Love”, is a true story based on the journey of the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, in her quest to heal from divorce. We have a lot to learn from her story in our own quest for divorce recovery.
Her journey takes her to Italy, where she replenishes her stress-wracked body that had lost 30 pounds and left her gaunt. She then goes to an ashram in India where she lives the rigorous schedule of the yogis, replenishing her depleted and questioning spirituality. The last leg of her journey leads her to study with a charming medicine man, and eventually in the arms of new love.
There is no mystery to the pattern of Ms Gilbert’s healing. After any trauma–physical, mental, emotional or spiritual–we heal in very much the same pattern. We must tend to the body first. It is a natural reaction based in survival instincts that we are drawn to bring our bodies into balance. After the body is healed we can we then tend to our spiritual life. Consider a mother in poverty-stricken India. Her first mission in any given day is figuring out how to feed her children and herself. It is a luxury for most Americans that this is not even a thought in the day. Food is ample for us. It is because of this abundance that we have the ability and luxury to nurture our spiritual lives. When we are in balance in body, mind and spirit, we are then prepared to open our hearts again to love.
Look to your own life today and see if your mind, body or spirit needs extra attention. Be gentle with yourself and nurture some part of you every day. Soon you will find yourself opening to love again! But the first person to love is YOU!!
