In. spir. a. tion!

Elizabeth Gilbert : Nurturing Creativity



I love TED and I am so glad that there are Ideas Worth Spreading. Recently, I was talking to my dear friend Monina Velarde and she led me to this TED talk. I first was introduced to Elizabeth Gilbert through Eat, Pray, Love, her memoir that documents her self exploratory journey through Italy, India, and Indonesia.

I was a nanny for a wonderful family after graduation. I nannied two beautiful children who introduced me to many wonderful things that I never explored in my childhood, among them baseball and musical instruments. These two children had two rockstar* parents who created an environment to foster their childrens' dreams, not their dreams for their own children.

While I was dusting their bookshelf, one of my favorite things to look at in other peoples' homes, I found Eat, Pray, Love, and Oh, The Places That You'll Go!, another post itself. I opened Eat, Pray, Love to a random page, and happened to fall upon my favorite chapter within the book.

I reread the book, gaining much from it. I started in India then moved to Indonesia, but skipped Italy. When Monina called me to suggest that I listen to this talk, she told me she had just finished Italy. Monina:Italy + Jessica:India&Indonesia = a fully read/reread Eat, Pray, Love & two inspired young women.

*synonyms: awesome, amazing, supportive