the series..

For those of you I haven't told, I read Eat Pray Love this week. I've always been told by the influential women in my life that you only get one great love in your life and one inspirational book.  I hate to say it, but they might have been wrong. 

I had a great love when I was young and will cherish it for the rest of my life. Though we're obviously no longer together, I carry that relationship through every experience I go through. As for the one great read, I also thought I had already found that. When I was very young (think sever or eight), I read my first Jane Austen book and was forever changed. I can probably quote verbatim the lines from Pride & Prejudice and my personal copies are so annotated - they are barely readable anymore. 

But, after being gifted by a dear acquaintance with Eat Pray Love - my life has been changed for the better. It had me developing love lists and reevaluating the individuals I am in constant contact with. After going through quite a turbulent past few months, it was exactly what I needed. 

Over the past few months, I have lost (in no particular order) my dreams of becoming a lawyer or at least someone with a law degree, my fresh journey in a new country, an individual I was beginning to truly care deeply for, a close family member who passed away suddenly several weeks ago, a best friend I grew apart from and the relationships I had built in this new city I was starting to call 'home'. 

That's quite a lot over a short period of time. Needless to say, December and January aren't months I will look back on fondly. I came home lacking the ambition and passion I have been known to carry. Normally, I'm that girl always smiling - always trying to help out. But, that had disappeared and people were starting to notice. This book has ignited a passion that I didn't even know existed. I am so inspired to share this story with others that I'm currently in the process of sending it to my best friend Rachel (it's Arkansas-bound). It made me realize that no matter what obstacles stand in your path, God (or any other spiritual figure) will be there to guide you through. No challenge is too tough. It was time for me to put my battle gear back on and fight back...

These next few blog entries will center around the stories within Eat Pray Love. From Italy to India and even Bali - I hope these tales inspire you to make a difference as well. It's time to leave our mark, to let others know that we were here. We need to leave nothing less than something that says we were here. 

But, for the night - I'm going to head to bed. Not feeling so great and just need a full night of rest and relaxation.