good reads

finished reading the travel memoir 'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert. frankly speaking, i dont really get the first part (Italy) of the book. found it a little dry and boring. things got better when i reached the second (India) and third (Indonesia) part. gained some insights along the way and thought about what were written. googled some of the characters/information i came across (ketut liyer, wayan nuriyashi, novica...). a good read overall.

'...you cannot see your reflection in running water, only in still water.'

'In our real lives, we are constantly hopping around to adjust ourselves around discomfort - physical, emotional and psychological - in order to evade the reality of grief and nuisance. ...grief and nuisance are inevitable in this life, but if you can plant yourself in stillness long enough, you will, in time, experience the truth that everything (both uncomfortable and lovely) does eventually pass.'

'This is what rituals are for. We do spiritual ceremonies as human beings in order to create a safe resting place for our most complicated feelings of joy or trauma, so that we don't have to haul those feelings around with us forever, weighing us down.'

the next book to read: