Where are You Moving to Today?
It was a Tuesday night and I was sitting on the couch scrolling through Netflix. I came across one of my favorite movies, Eat, Pray, Love. Having seen it N number of times, I figure what was one more? The story accomplished to capture the process of rediscovering oneself. It focuses on finding balance, yet enjoying life. When Liz loses her appetite for life, she embarks on a journey across countries to find her balance. You’d think, if something in life makes you unhappy you should change it but does it come without a hitch?
When life deals us a rough patch, we tend to power through most of the time. Thinking it’ll pass. But is it fear that holds us back from making the change or are we okay with accepting that things are not okay? Is it hope that stops us or is it fear? In the movie, there is a scene where Liz talks about change.
“There’s a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging, “Dear saint-please, please, please…give me the grace to win the lottery.” This lament goes on for months. Finally, the exasperated statue comes to life, looks down at the begging man, and says in weary disgust, “My son-please, please, please…buy a ticket.”
Interestingly, it wholly captures the current-day story for most of us. We are so focused on hoping for a better future, we forget we need to take steps in the direction of change. Every small step leads us toward the future we foresee for ourselves. At the end of the day, each little step has the potential to make a major impact.
If you listen to Dr. Julie Smith, in one of her talks, she gives us an example highlighting this very point. An airplane takes us from point A to point B but never travels in a straight line. At every point, the pilot changes the angle at which the plane flies based on the conditions. A slight change can impact the direction of the plane. It could have the plane land at a different destination. While the changes are in control, the pilot can steer us back in the direction of point B.
So as long as we work towards bettering our lives, we could achieve our goal(s) and in turn, find happiness. Happiness in our day-to-day lives instead of hoping for happiness in our future. No doubt there is comfort in staying in a familiar space. But if it isn’t contributing to our happiness, then why not move?
As you go through the movie, you’ll realize there are far too many lessons to focus on. Each one of us needs to go on our journey. And I don’t mean in reality although I wouldn’t mind a trip to Italy focused on Espressos, Gelatos, Pastas, and Pizzas. The underlying concept for me would be to not fear life changes. For even at the lowest point of our life, there is still something we can do to change it.
P.s. When I started this article, I was going to write about a new city but each little change led me to this. With this article, I complete my one-year journey in the world of publishing. Here’s hoping for another year of inspiration.
Copyright © 2023 Sonika
