well, inside my head is simply cloudy

I finished the book "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert last night. I didn't know what to expect from this book. I saw it on Oprah, and thought that Ms. Gilbert was a very dynamic person, and I was curious what exactly she had to say. But, the more I saw women on Oprah thinking that they needed to do exactly what this woman did to find her meaning in life to find their own, the more I didn't want to read the book.

But, I put it on my christmas list, and it was the first thing I read after Christmas.

Her writing style is so wonderful and understandable. It's as if she's sitting with you, talking about her life experiences as a dearest friend. As she shares her lowest moments, you can hear the hope in her tone. As she shares her most beautiful moments, you can almost hear the exhalation of contentment. She is uplifting and refreshing to read.

I am reminded of something Ms. Gilbert said on Oprah one day...
She said that she certainly didn't think that everyone needed to hit the lowest of the low, crying for nights on end on the floor of your bathroom in the pits of depression in Ms. Gilbert's case, to find themselves, to find meaning, to find happiness.

In the books she says that happiness isn't a "luck" event. Happiness is something you create for yourself. It's something you find within yourself.

From this book I take away knowing that peace and meaning and happiness is there for everyone, that it isn't something that you necessarily find in religion, or church, or a god - but it can be. It isn't something that has to do with "success" (what is success really?) or money, or stage in life, or labels, or education. Or it is something that has to do with those things, that it's completely up to what is inside your own head, not what's inside the heads of those around you.