News & Blog
Thought of the day: KEEP LOOKING. I was hanging out with my dad this morning,…
Thought of the day: KEEP LOOKING.
I was hanging out with my dad this morning, and he was talking about his days in the Navy. He was remembering this little conversation he overheard one day — almost 50 years ago — between an officer and a sailor on the watch deck. The officer had alerted the sailor that radar indicated a ship approaching, not very far from them. The sailor was looking for the mystery ship in his binoculars.
"Can you see it?" the officer asked.
"No, sir," the sailor replied with great earnestness. "But I ALMOST can!"
Of course it's a sweet and delusional reply — because you either see something or you don't, right? It's certainly not a very militarily precise reply.
And yet…
Don't you know this feeling? I've had it so many times in prayer and meditation. I've also had this feeling while I'm writing, and I've had it while I'm searching for solutions to problems in my personal life. I can't see it (divinity, transcendence, forgiveness, grace, the fix) but I believe that I ALMOST can…and that brings me hope, and keeps me searching.
I think that for most of my life, I have ALMOST seen the mystery ship — all the answers, way over there on the dim horizon. I can at least imagine someday seeing it. So I optimistically keep peering, I keep squinting, and I'm pretty sure most days that I've nearly just about halfway gotten close to almost seeing it.
Maybe almost seeing it is good enough.
Makes the ocean feel less lonely.
Keep looking, dear ones,
Heart,
LG
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in one of my favorite spots in the world. Thanks, Ch…
THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS in one of my favorite spots in the world. Thanks, Chris!
Photos of Elizabeth Gilbert
Greetings from Maine and a gorgeous sunrise view on Cadillac Mountain!
BIG sale on jewelry this weekend at my shop, Two Buttons! (www.twobuttons.com)….
BIG sale on jewelry this weekend at my shop, Two Buttons! (www.twobuttons.com).
Come visit, if you're near Frenchtown, NJ!
🙂
LG
EXCITING NEWS! Not only is it Labor Day weekend and River Fest(Aug. 31st). We are having a big sale on all jewelry and gems! Starting tomorrow all jewelry and gems will be 50% OFF! And if you can't make it this weekend we are hosting the sale until the 14th of September! Come join us for great prices and great fun! Sale from August 29th to September 14th!
TEN BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME (OK, 20. OK, 21. But who’s counting?) Sever…
TEN BOOKS THAT HAVE STAYED WITH ME
(OK, 20. OK, 21. But who's counting?)
Several of you lately have been sending me this 10 books challenge list — wherein, off the top of your head, you list 10 books that have been important to you in your life. Some of you have asked for mine.
Because I cannot follow rules, I did 21. Ten non-fiction, ten fiction. Just what came for the top of my head. And a bonus.
Non-fiction:
START FROM WHERE YOU ARE, by Pema Chodron
POSER, by Claire Dederer
HARLEY LOCO, by Rayya Elias
THE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN, by Anne Fadiman
BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey
THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY, by Maira Kalman
THE RINGS OF SATURN, by W.G. Sebald
THE MEADOWLANDS, by Robert Sullivan
WHEN WANDERERS CEASE TO ROAM, By Vivian Swift
A THREE DOG LIFE, by Abigail Thomas
Fiction:
THE CHILDREN'S BOOK, by A.S. Byatt
GREAT EXPECTATIONS, by Charles Dickens
PORTRAIT OF A LADY, by Henry James
THE SUMMER BOOK, by Tove Jansson
ALL AUNT HAGAR'S CHILDREN, by Edward P. Jones
WOLF HALL, by Hilary Mantel
WANT NOT, by Jonathan Miles
HATESHIP FRIENDSHIP COURTSHIP LOVESHIP MARRIAGE, by Alice Munro
BEL CANTO, by Ann Patchett
THE MASTER, by Colm Toibin
But if I can take just one book, to the proverbial desert island? LEAVES OF GRASS, by Walt Whitman. I would spend the rest of my life memorizing it. Then I would walk around the island chanting SONG OF MYSELF forever. Not a bad way to live out your days on a desert island.
Lastly, here is a picture of my bright and happy new office!
What are your favorite books, all?
🙂
LG
FRIDAY HOUSEKEEPING! Dear Ones – We get a lot of new people joining this Faceb…
FRIDAY HOUSEKEEPING!
Dear Ones –
We get a lot of new people joining this Facebook page every day (thank you for joining our little community, new folks!) so once a week, I try to give everyone all the information they might want, about other places on the Internet to find me.
So let’s run down the list:
My website is https://ift.tt/sUqSyM. There, you can find information on all my upcoming events, see videos, read my thoughts on the writing process, and download book club guides to my books!
I have an email newsletter (where I always reveal my big news first, and sometimes run contests, when I remember to.) You can join the newsletter by clicking the icon on the left of this page called "LizNews" and signing up. (You can also sign up for LizNews on the homepage of my website.)
You can follow me on Twitter, where I basically just goof off, at: @GilbertLiz
You can follow me on Instagram (which I just started because some 14-year-olds told me to) at: Elizabeth_Gilbert_Writer
You can follow me on Pinterest (that addictive crack house, whose vortex I try not to tumble down too often because it’s a gorgeous suckhole) at: lizgilbertpins
And if you EVER want to buy to buy signed copies of ANY of my books, you can buy them online through the shop, Two Buttons, that I run in New Jersey with my husband (otherwise known as “that Brazilian guy”.) The link is right here: https://ift.tt/1pfR7PX
That is all, my dears!
(And yes, in all these various social media forums, it is actually ME doing the posting, the chatting, the responding, the pinning, the time-wasting. I like it. It’s fun. I like hanging out with you guys. I’m glad you like hanging out with me. Also, I have no children and my husband cooks, so I have a lot of extra time on my hands…)
?
Thanks for everything!
ONWARD,
LG