Eat, Pray, Love

The Daily Prompt Poses:

If you were asked to spend a year living in a different location, where would you choose and why?

I think I am one of the few who are head over heels in love with the book ‘Eat Pray Love‘. It brought a lot of controversy and gained a lot of criticism. I enjoyed all the places she went, but if I had to choose it would be… you guessed it, Italy. What person in their right mind, as opposed to their left, doesn’t want delicious Italian food, romance and learning about how to enjoy pleasure?

Americans and Pleasure: “Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure. Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one. Americans spend billions on themselves amused with everything from porn to theme parks, but that is not the same thing as quiet enjoyment. Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today. Americans feel more happy and fulfilled in their office than they do in their own homes.”

Italians and Pleasure: “Il bel far niente (the beauty of doing nothing) has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated… You don’t necessarily need to be rich to experience this, either… l’arte d’arrangiarsi or the art of making something out of nothing. The art of turning a few ingredients into a feast.”

I was actually conceived in Italy. Don’t confuse it with being born. I am not calling you simple-minded, but some people get a bit confused. No, my parents vodeodoed in Italy when my mom, grandma and sister went and visited my dad while he was out to sea with his crew. Or whatever they call it in the Navy. So you can say I have been destined for Italy well before ‘Eat Pray Love’.

[Piazza Navona, Rome, Italy] (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)