I LOVE movies. How amazing it is to be, not merely an observer of someone’s life, but if it is truly a quality film, I feel as if I am playing a role as well. Last week, I saw two movies that, quite simply, moved me, one brand new and the other an old favorite. Like many people the world ’round, I eagerly watched the film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel Eat, Pray, Love. Having read the book at least three times, identifying with the crisis of faith, the search for self while enmeshed in others, the inner journey (if not the outer travelogue), that she experienced, I felt heartened by the movie, getting that it stepped up to the plate; filled with pizza and pasta in Italy, serving up Nirvana in India and offering sweet delights to tantalize all the senses in Bali. Liz’s ‘hero’s journey’ was mine as well. Julia Roberts was perfectly cast, the movie stayed fairly true to the book, with some characters left out and two scenes included for dramatic effect, even if they didn’t play out in the page turner. One of the most impressive things about Liz’s time on the road, is that at each destination, although she truly knew no one when she arrived, she created ‘family of choice’.  An internationally rich cast of characters surrounded her; including an Indonesian medicine man, an Italian tutor, a young Indian woman, and two of the most memorable, the passionate Brazilian/Australian expat who was to become her husband and one of her most precious teachers, the wise and witty ‘Richard from Texas’.  What I consider often is that everyone I now know and love, was once a stranger. Such is the truth in your life as well.

A few quotes remain with me. She speaks of the “sweetness of doing nothing.” That has become as necessary as breathing for me, when once it felt optional. For so long, I was a ‘human doing’ and now have relaxed into a human BE-ing. Her assurance that “God dwells within me as me.” may seem sacrilegious to some, but for me, feels like one of the holiest concepts imaginable.

And this, as it pertains to the subject matter of my blog:

“According to the mystics, this search for divine bliss is the entire purpose of a human life. This is why we all chose to be born, and this is why all the suffering and pain of life on earth is worthwhile–just for the chance to experience this infinite love. And once you have found this divinity within, can you hold it? Because if you can…bliss.”

I encourage you to read the book, see the movie in what ever order you choose and let me know your thoughts about it.

The second movie that I just watched tonight was Prelude To A Kiss; the 1992 charmer starring Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin as two cosmically connected lovers whose lives take a completely unexpected turn when an older, ailing gentleman crosses their path at their wedding and asks innocently to kiss the bride. What so tickles me about this film is the idea that love surpasses appearances and deepens when the parties involved allow it to do so. The line at the end that touches me most profoundly: “Never to be squandered, the miracle of another human being.” When those words roll off my tongue and rattle around my consciousness, I feel gratitude for the immensity of the connection I share with those I love. Wishing the same for you.