Book Review: Eat Pray Love

We had our first book club meeting on Tuesday to discuss Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I have to admit that the book was not a 'fast read' for me like it was for others. It was a bit of a roller coaster. I like it in the beginning, got a little bored by chapter 34, regained some speed in chapter 44, and so on. But, overall, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

For those who don't know, the book is about a woman who, after a difficult divorce, travels for a year to Italy, India, and Indonesia - three countries that ironically all begin with "I". This is a journey of self-discovery. She travels to Italy in the pursuit of pleasure, to India in the pursuit of devotion, and Indonesia in the pursuit of balance.

Gilbert's pursuit of pleasure in Italy involves learning the language -something she has always wanted to do but had no reason to do- and eating whenever and whatever she wants. By the end of her stay in Italy, she had gained 23 pounds. Now I just have to say that this has been a dream of mine for several years now. That is, to pack a suitcase full of stretchy pants, fly to Italy, stay for several weeks, and eat WHATEVER I want. I would not care how much weight I gained. In fact, I would be highly disappointed if I did not gain at least 10 pounds.

I think what we all agreed upon at book club was the importance of personal happiness. None of us will have the opportunity to travel for a year to find ourselves, but we should all do what we can to be happy and content with our lives and ourselves.

Next up is "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards. I have actually already read this one and I do recommend reading along if you can.

In other news, Ashlyn is a very messy eater. She is the messiest little almost two-year-old I know. I see my nieces and nephews eat and they do not make the mess that Ashlyn manages. Today I gave her mac n' cheese for lunch which she loves and was eating very well, so I gave her seconds and then thirds. By this point cheese sauce has covered her face, hands, and arms despite the fact that she is using a spoon. I turned around for a minute and next thing I know she has dumped her entire bowl on the floor. This drives me crazy! She is always throwing her food on the floor once she has had enough. I have tried to talk to her about this, telling her to just let me know when she is done and I will take away what she does not want. She has not quite caught on to this concept. After picking up the mess, I look her straight in the eye and say, "Ashlyn, we do not throw our food on the floor. We do not make messes!" Ashlyn then looks me straight in the eye and LAUGHS. To which I respond, "Ashlyn, it's not funny." To which she responds back, "Yes it is!" Oh boy. What do I do now?