My Version of 'Eat Pray Love'

I'm sure that everybody has heard about 'Eat Pray Love'. The book and the movie. The book itself made a huge buzz as a must-have-book and made in The New York Times Best Seller list for 187 weeks! And also the movie, especially the movie making in Bali. They really made it a buzz there.

In commentary of the movie, I have to admit, sadly, it didn't deliver the supposed message of Elizabeth Gilbert's journey. I'm not sure its because of the fast-moving-a-lil-bit-rushed plot or my high expectation on Julia Roberts to depict the ultimate-meaning-of-life search of a woman in that movie.

Nevertheless, both, book and movie, are, at least, enjoyable.

Actually, what I want to write here is not about the general 'Eat Pray Love' book and/or the movie. But the stage of coping mechanism as titled.

First is 'eat'. Second is 'pray'. And the last stage is 'love'. All three is the coping stages of Elizabeth Gilbert during her particular phase of life journey (while she felt she lost the meaning of her supposed-perfect life).

I have to admit that these three stages are generic. Meaning, most of us will go for these stages also. And I am pretty sure that is why the book and the movie are getting its popularity.

But, as I watched the movie, I can't help to think of my own coping mechanism, my own coping stage. And at that time, I didn't put so many thoughts about it, until recently I was having dinner with a friend in this great Italian restaurant. At a moment, I just saw this one man, with his friends, ordering so many dishes, different kind of dishes though they're just a group of three. And all three have the same big appetite on those dishes. The man I saw particularly, would spoon a pasta and eat it slowly. And then he nodded deliciously (I thought Julia Robert's date with her spaghetti was lame compare to this man's date).

Eat passionately was the first stage of Elizabeth Gilbert's coping mechanism. For that man, eat passionately might not be his coping mechanism, but he surely knows how to cope himself with his appetite.

And there I was, questioning myself, what is my coping mechanism, what is my stages of coping with all that happened these past few months ?

I couldn't find the answer. Not in the worse ways or the better ways, in this life.

Just one stage, die.


Disclaimer: This posting is a very personal. Any post judgments are welcome without further follow up.