Eat, Pray, Love: What's Your Word?

   By drodriguez  Sep 14, 2008
107

New York Times Bestseller Eat Pray Love, has elicited its readers to tell whomever they can, be it stranger or friend, that they “must read this book.” Divided into three parts, each verb in the title corresponds to a country, each of which serendipitously, begins with the letter “I”. And since this is a personal journey for its author Elizabeth Gilbert, this is not so much a coincidence as an affirmation that she’s doing exactly what she needs to be doing.

Part One, Italy is the land where Gilbert perfects her conversational Italian and all the while, Eats. She consumes her food with a passion, seeks out the best each city and region has to offer, her exchange with residents is equally passionate, if not about food, then about living and loving and being.

In part one, her Italian friend invokes the theory that, “every city has a single word that defines it, that identifies most people who live there. If you could read people’s thoughts as they were passing? you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be ? that is the word of the city.”

Apparently Rome’s word is SEX. (And since the Vatican is technically not part of Rome, its own word is POWER.) New York: ACHIEVE. Los Angeles: SUCCEED. The conversation between the two takes the theory down to smaller entities, ultimately to Gilbert’s. What is Elizabeth Gilbert’s word? At that point, after her year-long journey, she doesn’t know, and as she concedes on this page, that is truly the reason for her traverse around the world. (Ultimately she does find her word, and it’s a pretty good one.)

What is your word? Have you found it? What would you need to do to find it?

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jennyjen1234 by jennyjen1234 | Verbena, AL
Jan 02, 2011

Blessed

donnaw23 by donnaw23 | Hill, NH
Sep 18, 2010

LONGING..........

bizzybee80 by bizzybee80 | BROOKLYN, NY
Aug 26, 2010

Acceptance.

heyitscha by heyitscha | Medina, OH
Aug 19, 2010

i would like to think that my word is DREAM

KTPaige by KTPaige | Culloden, WV
Jul 30, 2010

SURVIVE. I am a cancer survivor. The cancer changed, shaped, and affected my whole life. Yet I am still here, finding beauty in the everyday things, stopping and smelling the roses.

Tintotti by Tintotti | Westby, WI
Jul 26, 2010

Very interesting to read all the comments and words of self description! I will have to pick up the book and give it a read...sounds like I'm missing out! One word that best describes me? I couldn't come up with just one...I am stumped. Maybe that is my word...at least for this moment :)

piscesgrly2 by piscesgrly2 | GALT, CA
Jun 09, 2010

My word is "inventive" because I invent ways to get through problems in my everyday life. I also reinvent myhself physically and mentally.

j9sjeep by j9sjeep | Willowick, OH
Jun 03, 2010

I can think of several but I am thinking the best one is "Committed" I am committed to my husband, my family and everything that I do!

taraware by taraware | WINCHESTER, KY
Jan 28, 2010

I am the peacekeeper at both work and home.

CindyF by CindyF | AMSTON, CT
Oct 24, 2009

Inspiring- live and enjoy each day

momagarry by momagarry | MILWAUKEE, WI
Oct 10, 2009

I need to pick this book up.

LISA2699 by LISA2699 | Saugus, MA
Oct 08, 2009

Wow, I hated this book. It was murder to finish.

larika101 by larika101 | Searcy, AR
Sep 24, 2009

I believe mine would be between two things: Blessed and In-Progress

melowe05 by melowe05 | Mooresville, NC
Sep 18, 2009

Stagnant would be my word. I feel like I am not moving right now. I just finished collee about a year ago and have been at the same job since. I get up get the kids off to school and just take care of things. The same ol' every day. BTW I loved this book!

marysavesmoney by marysavesmoney | Monroe, NC
Sep 02, 2009

Curious would be my word. I don't think you can ever know too much.