The world knew Elizabeth Gilbert was on to something when Eat Pray Love hit the bestsellers list in 2006 (and stayed there for OVER 200 WEEKS). She had decided to make a huge break with a life that looked picture-perfect from the outside in order to get closer to a deeper inner truth. She let go of expectations, stayed curious, and chose to believe in magic. And she shared her journey with us.
Those of us who saw the movie know that her inner work paid off big time, as she fell madly in love with Javier Bardem. Well... Javier Bardem played him in the 2010 movie adaptation of the book anyway. Their relationship was beautiful and true and we held it up like a shining light, beckoning us to follow our own paths to authentic happiness.
Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in Eat Pray Love
So what gives when, in September 2016, avid followers of Liz's inspirational Facebook posts get this news? What about the Javier Bardem-ish dreamboat? How hard it must have been to feel, again, the undeniable pull to leave a current relationship in pursuit of a deeper truth - this time under the scrutiny of public eye. But she did it, and in vulnerable, authentic, poetic Liz Gilbert style.
"Here is the thing about truth:" Liz says in the post, "Once you see it, you cannot un-see it. So that truth, once it came to my heart's attention, could not be ignored." She goes on:
"For reasons of my own integrity and sanity, I need to be able to walk into any room in the world with Rayya on my arm, feeling relaxed enough to stand comfortably in simple openness about who we actually are to each other. If I can't be my true self (whether at home in privacy, or out there in the world in public) then things will very quickly get messy and weird and stupid in my life. Sure, I could pretend that Rayya is still just my best friend, but that would be…you know... pretending. Pretending is demeaning, and it makes you weak and confused, and it's also a lot of work. I don't do that kind of work anymore."
She chose courage over compromise and just put it out there, HER truth. And, because she's racked up some massive karma points for supporting us with wonderful words of wisdom and compassion, she was supported in turn with over 55K likes and loves, and about 11K comments from misty-eyed well-wishers.
We are thrilled to tell you that Elizabeth Gilbert will be joining us at Emerging Women Live to kick off the 4 day event. But that's just the half of it! On a second night, she will share the stage with her beloved Rayya for an exclusive interview. The DEEP SHARE.
We. cannot. wait.
Love. Heartbreak. Surrender. Trust. Impermanence. Loss. Celebration. Let's air it all out together, and let's do it, like Liz says, "comfortably in simple openness about who we are." Are you in?