Elizabeth M. Johnson

Like every other woman in the Western world, I am reading Eat Pray Love. Actually I am listening to it on audio in the car. A little late on the Gilbert fan wagon, I just started the book. Boy, did she annoy me in the beginning! I hung in there because of the promise of Italy in the not-so-distant future. Had I known she would have ended up in Rome, I might not have continued listening. For a should-er like Gilbert, Rome makes perfect sense but it was still a disappointment learning she went to Rome to discover pleasure. But endless descriptions of creamy gelato, beautiful men and an almost continual flow of pizza and pasta made my own formerly Italian heart ache with envy. Toward the end of her stay in Rome, Gilbert has a conversation with a friend who, upon learning that Rome is not her (Gilbert’s city), shares his theory that every city has a word associated with it. Rome’s word is Sex. The Vatican’s word is Power. Naples is Fight. What’s her word, he asks, since it is not Sex? She ponders. I can’t say I recall if she had an answer; I was too busy writing down (while driving of course) this theory of one word to represent an entity. I muse on this: what is my word? Upon asking the question, the expected barrages flows towards me: confidence, authentic, learner, restless, pink. I consider beauty which is close but I don’t think that’s it. Relentless and passionate feel closer. I’ll play with these two for a few days.

What’s your word? It may be tempting to choose a “should” word but I would encourage you to think about this for a few days and come up with a list that you feel represent your Authentic Self. Then narrow it down. Beauty is so important to me. Not only is it a recurring theme in my list of 6 Things I Cannot Live Without but it is also one of my five personal values and an instrumental influence in the choices that I make in my surroundings. But it isn’t a complete representation. What’s your word?

By the way, Florence’s word is Beauty.