Last night I went to a lecture at the University of Washington given by the fabulous Elizabeth Gilbert, author of my very favorite book of 2006 (and one of my top 5 all-time favorites), Eat, Pray, Love
She talked about so many things that I could completely relate to, like the paralysis of choice and how painful the decision-making process can be. How we have SO MANY OPTIONS at any one given time that sometimes we just can’t choose anything. Some people feel like every decision could be monumental. Like, if they have option A, B, C, D, E, F and they decide on option C, they can’t stop thinking that what if option D was really the one that would change their life.
Elizabeth told a fantastic story about being so lost in her own thoughts and brain that she missed her flight at SFO. She was just sitting there at the gate, waiting for her plane for well over an hour, then just started thinking and missed it. She wasn’t even listening to music. She talked about how she lives in her head so much that sometimes she forgets “there’s a body down there,” and that yoga helps remind her of that. It was all I could do to stop myself from throwing up my hand and yelling, “Ooo! Ooo! Me too, Liz! Me too!” We would so be BFFs.
An audience member asked a question about her experience on Oprah, and I have to admit that I was kind of bummed out to hear that Ms. Winfrey didn’t hang out or chat with her after the show. I understand her process of not wanting to meet or talk to guests before the show or during commercial breaks to keep their interview questions and answers fresh and authentic, but the Oprah who lives in my head is a totally chummy, warm woman who has at least a little time to hang with talented authors after the show. Maybe even give them one of her favorite things, or a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
It was such an inspiring, wonderful evening and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to go.
Elizabeth Gilbert’s next book, Matrimonium: A Meditation on the Subject of Marriage, is set to be published in 2010.