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Elizabeth Gilbert’s fourth and latest book – a #1 best selling memoir about the year she spent traveling around the world in search of personal restoration after a difficult divorce. ~authors website
WERE YOU EVER WORRIED THAT TAKING A YEAR OFF TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD WAS A SELFISH ACT?
What is it about the American obsession with productivity and responsibility that makes it so difficult for us to allow ourselves a little time to solve the puzzle of our own lives, before it’s too late? That said, yes – I did worry a great deal about selfishness. But after three years of despair and depression, I had come to believe that living my life in a state of constant misery was actually a pretty selfish act. Who would be served by a lifetime of my sorrow? How would that enrich the world? Going off for a year and creating a journey to pull myself back together, to rediscover joy, to face down my failings and rebuild my existence, was not only an important thing for my life, but ultimately for the lives of everyone around me. And it’s not just my family and friends who are better off now that I am happy; it’s everyone I encounter. Because the reality is that we human beings are constantly leaking our dispositions upon each other. When I was in such a dark state, everyone I passed on the street had to walk through the shadow of my darkness, whether they knew me or not. I remember once, during my divorce, crying uncontrollably on the subway in New York City. When I look back on that crying young woman, I feel great compassion for what she was going through. But I can also feel pity now, in retrospect, for those poor, weary New York commuters, who had to sit there after their own long days at work, watching this sobbing stranger. I didn’t want to be that person anymore. Saving my own life (through therapy, medication, prayer and – most of all -- travel) was something I did for my own benefit, yes, but I can’t help but think that it was ultimately also a little bit of a community service.
HOW COULD YOU AFFORD TO TRAVEL THE WAY YOU DID?
This year-long journey was paid for entirely by the book advance for “Eat, Pray, Love”, which was a huge blessing. But I got that advance because this was my fourth book, and so I’d earned my way up over the years to that level of trust from my publisher. That said, though – when I was younger, I did a whole lot of traveling around this world before anyone ever paid me to do it. For many years, I traveled on the salary of a waitress or a bartender. I would work every shift for six months, then take my savings and go away to a new place, then come home and start working again. I was able to do this because traveling was such an important force in my life (rivaled only by writing) and I willingly gave up certain comforts (nice clothes, a steady job) to save money for plane tickets. Also, I shouldpoint out that while I was traveling for “Eat, Pray, Love,” I met hordes of people of all ages and backgrounds and nationalities (families, even!) who were doing incredible journeys – and not one of them had a generous book advance. (Or, at least, nobody would admit to it.) Of course it’s true that not everyone who wants to see the world will be able to. People are held in place by all sorts of forces – by commitments to work, by the needs of their families, by ill health, by poverty. Yet many, many more people could travel than do. When it becomes important enough, doors can open in mighty ways. ~for more on this topic
I WANT TO GO TO ITALY – WHERE CAN I GET THAT PIZZA YOU DESCRIBED?
Pizzeria da Michele. "Order the double mozzarella. If you go to Naples and don’t eat this pizza, please lie to me later and tell me that you did."
ARE YOU AND FELIPE STILL TOGETHER?
Very much so. Ours remains a lovely, nourishing, happy love story. Thank you for asking!
