Big Magic In Your Life
You know when someone recommends a movie or a book to you and you just know you’re going to hate it?
That’s how I felt when the book “Eat, Pray, Love” was hot on the shelf. Not for me. No thank you. I just KNOW, ok?
I did end up reading the book and as suspected, greatly disliked it. Well, to be fair, I liked it enough to finish it. And there were parts of it I suppose I enjoyed. But overall, meh. The book was very much in the tone of the author as a person and her experience with life after divorce, and to be honest, I didn’t like her tone and felt like she just wasn’t someone I would be friends with in real life. (Not that that is a requirement for good literature)
Pretty soon after I choked down my first Elizabeth Gilbert book, my book club picked another book of hers; “Committed”. This book chronicled her current love story and the how & why she decided to remarry.
Hated it.
Again, there were parts that I actually liked and “got something” from but in general, this just confirmed Elizabeth and I are not destined to be literary buddies.
Years go by with me happily reading dozens of books written by other people and then suddenly, I start hearing about Elizabeth Gilbert again. She’d written another book and not only was everyone talking about it but again, promising me this book was for me. I assure them Elizabeth and I tried hanging out and “I just wasn’t that into her”. And each recommender swore this book would change my life and said this one’s different and some version of “even if you hate her other stuff, I REALLY think you’ll love this one.
Change my life? LOVE this book? Those are some big ass promises people. It finally took a friend literally shoving the book in my hand to borrow, (and asking me to return soon because she often refers to it) for me to open up and give her another whirl.
Enter Big Magic. “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear” is for creative people. That is to say, it’s for everyone. Because we are all creative in some manner. This book breaks down the barriers holding most of us back from living our creative lives, hell, really from living in general. She debunks the myth that artists (of any kind) must struggle and be in mental anguish to really make anything that matters. She speaks of inspiration as a living, breathing entity that we should have a relationship with and recognize that if we ignore, it WILL move on to someone who cherishes it and brings it to life. I could go on and on and on, and have to any friend who will listen to me about it.
In short, I loved it. LOVED it! Well, I should say, loving it as I have 28 pages left. And I’m having that feeling when you’re almost finished with a book you’ve grown close to. Sad to see it end and so very grateful to have made its acquaintance.
I have done a complete about face and 180'd my opinion of this author. (I still don’t like those other 2 books, I’m not a time traveler) But, I’m probably going to pick up her next book now when it comes out.
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