Lessons from Eat Pray Love

I saw Eat Pray Love tonight. In the past, movies like this would upset me, making me feel inadequate, settled and overly nested. They would motivate me to action and encourage me to change. But not this time. This time, I am already moving. I am already changing. I am in true, passionate, soul mate love. This time, the movie just reinforced what I am already discovering. I didn't leave feeling the "shoulds" (I should do this or I should do that). I left saying, I am solid, loved and embracing the real me.

Two hours later, I'm still moved. The only other movie that left me with this churn in my stomach was Titanic. I haven't let out the emotion yet, but I can feel the tears coming. There are many lessons in the movie, which I'm still digesting. Here are just a few...

"You don't need a man, you need a champion."
How true. Any guy can fill your bed, but every woman needs a man who has her back. A man who will protect her, even if she doesn't need protecting. I am so thankful that I found mine.

Eat and don't feel guilty.
Ugh, this one I still struggle with.

Until you are solid alone, you can't be solid partnered.
A woman needs to be able to be alone, before she can be together. If you can't go to the movies alone without feeling self conscious, you should consider being single for a while. This is why all us idiots who got married in our twenties often question our decision...because we had no flippin' clue about who we were in our twenties and we certainly weren't solid alone.

Everyone needs a good pair of aviator sunglasses
Julia Roberts exudes positive energy and organic hotness, all the way down to her aviators. Is it the sunglasses or the internal peace? I'm thinking the latter.

Leap and cross over.
I'm leaping. I'm taking chances and they are paying off. I have given my heart to someone, knowing it is safe and I have no fear of losing myself. New experiences are on the horizon and I am not afraid.

And to any critics who didn't love the movie...they are either too young to understand or too old and set in their ways. For all of us balancing our thirties, you'll love this movie and you'll be inspired.