SONO GRATA!
Happiness is a gorgeous new Italian translation of THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS.
At last, the novel is available in fine librerie Italiane everywhere!
Buon divertimento, amici!
(And BRAVISSIME to Maria Baiocchi e Anna Tagliavini, for the traduzione meravigliosa!)
Forza Italia!
LG
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Just wanted to send love out today to my wonderful dad (shown here as my date at a fancy-schmanzy party in NYC a few years ago: The only picture you will ever see of Christmas Tree Farmer John Gilbert in a tuxedo).
And love to all the great fathers out there…and to all the great father figures, who have filled in the gaps over time, where dads might be missing.
I thought it might be fun to ask everyone to share the best advice they've ever gotten from either their father, or from a father-figure in their lives?
Here's mine, which my dad told me when I was 18, and about to go off to college:
"Don't go to college to get a career. Go to college to get an EDUCATION. It's your only chance to spend four years learning, just for the pleasure of expanding your mind. Don't waste that chance. Fill yourself with as much knowledge as possible, while you can. You will eventually find the right career for yourself, but a great education will always serve you, no matter what you do in life."
What's the best advice you ever got from a dad?
Lots of love,
LG
Dear Ones —
I thought you all might enjoy this post that I wrote today on the Facebook page of Two Buttons, the import shop that I run with my husband…
Lots of love, and let it flow!
LG
Timeline Photos
LET IT FLOW!
Hello friends —
Those of you who have visited our shop know that people often spontaneously leave money and offerings on our outdoor statues. We always delight in this practice…we don't know where it began, but it almost seems to be an instinct. Our giant white 7000-pound marble Buddha is always covered with flowers and coins, which is so beautiful. The smaller Buddhas and our big Ganesh also get showered with coins. We know people also bring their prayers to these statues, and we are honored by it.
The other day, somebody came to Two Buttons and took all the money off all the statues. Some customers were terribly upset when they realized what had happened ("Somebody stole all the cash!") but we here at Two Buttons think it's lovely and perfect.
We see things differently.
We learned how to see things differently when we lived in Bali.
The Balinese have a practice of putting forward an offering, and then letting it go. You decorate your altar or a public shrine with the most gorgeous flower blossoms you can find, or you shower it with coins or jewelry, and then you walk away. Whatever happens next is none of your business. Once you release your prayers and offerings, they don't belong to you anymore: They belong to the universe. And whoever might come along and pick up your offering…well, that is clearly the person who needed it. Even if the person themselves THINKS they stole something, they didn't. They can't. You can't steal something that belongs to the universe. You can only receive it.
So it's all perfect.
It's all part of the big inhale and the big exhale.
We are just happy to have a place in this great circle of abundance at all!
Let it flow, and lots of love,
THE BUTTONS
It's a colorful and happy day in Frenchtown!
SUNDAY MATINEE!
Hello my lovelies!
In less than two weeks THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS will be published in its gorgeous new paperback form — light, portable, perfect for beach reading!
Since I haven't shown the book trailer for SOAT for a while, I thought I would post it here today, for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's fun to watch because it includes footage of The Woodlands, the actual Philadelphia estate upon which I based Alma's fictitious home. (For instance, you can see the carriage house…and if you ever visit the actual Woodlands person, by the way, you can even see "the binding closet", ahem!)
So…you can click right here to watch the video:
Thanks, all!
LG
Video | Elizabeth Gilbert – The Official Website | ElizabethGilbert.com
https://ift.tt/sUqSyM
"The Signature of All Things" promo trailer Elizabeth talks about THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS Elizabeth Gilbert: A new way to think about creativity TEDTal
A friend of this page shared this wonderful graphic the other day, while we were all discussing creativity. I love this. (If anyone knows the original artist, by the way, could you tell me, so I can give props?)
Make your work, my friends — whatever it may be. Make it, release it, make some more. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Don't worry about if it's good or not good. The outcome is not up to you. Only the devotion is up to you, and the curiosity that keeps you returning to invention.
This morning, I woke up remembering what the poet Marianne Moore once said, when asked if she had any creative secrets: “Impassioned interest in life, that burns its bridges behind it, and will not contemplate defeat, is one, I would say."
Yeah. That’s the way to do it!
Heart,
LG
