Thank You for Making Me … Me.

Readers, I have had so (o-o-o-o-o) many things change over the last few months … I just don’t even know where to begin. So many wonderful things are going on in my life. The problem is — I feel like I have really let this blog fall by the wayside. Perhaps, it’s because I have been so busy. Or maybe it’s because it helped me to achieve exactly what I have been seeking.

When I started Eat, Pray, Run, I was at a point in my life where everything had gone awry. I wasn’t happy with my job, my state of mind, my health … a lot of things. It was tough and discouraging, and I knew writing about it was one of the best ways I would be able to make my way through it.

Well, I can truly say that today I woke up and actually said aloud, “I am so happy about my life right now!”

Because I am. I am getting married. I have a fabulous family and fiance. I have a new (totally cool!) job. I have moved to the city I have always (and forever) wanted to live in. I have a renewed zest for personal fitness …

I am pretty dang happy.

I know for sure the need for this blog has come to a close, and I want to end in a place where you (and I) feel content with the journey we have taken. Thank you so much for reading, but most of all thank you so much for teaching me something about me. This journey has been a necessary one; one that has helped to shape the “me” I am today.

Please stay tuned for information on where you can find me writing next. In the mean time, check out my new blog at Lime.com, Walk This Way.

And, of course, as always, live the life this blog was meant to help you fulfill. Connect with the spiritual you, live a healthy life (mind and body) and never forget — eat lots of good food!  ♥

Something to (Chew?) On?

I am still here … Really!

Hello, all of my lovely readers! I apologize that Eat, Pray, Run has been on such a terribly long hiatus. Dan and I have been all over the place these last few months, and things appear to (FINALLY) be taking a breather.

I will update you soon with new details and future plans for this site. Things will be ch-ch-ch-ch-changing, but it will be nothing but exciting!

Have a fabulous day,
Caroline ♥

Check Out the Leaner, Meaner You

So, it’s about that time when we all start thinking about what it might be like if someone asked us to don a bathing suit right this very minute. But instead of it being just a mere thought, the truth is that the skin revealing time of  year really is just around the corner.

And, yes, setting weight loss or get-in-shape goals really are key to achieving the swimsuit bodies we all desire. But wouldn’t it be much more helpful if we had a clear vision of what results our hard work might churn out? Like, a photo of our brand-spanking new, buff bodies?

Well …. you CAN have it. Just check out WeightView.com, a site that allows you to upload a photo of your current self and plug in your weight loss goals. The result? A specially altered picture that allows you to see what your fab self might look like should you commit to eating healthier and pumping some iron.

Talk about inspiration, right? In the April issue of SELF magazine, one writer hung the photo at her desk as a reminder to hit the gym after work.

Technology … whatever will they come up with next?

(Hmmm … something that involves calorie-free, chocolate lava cake … please?)

Move Mountains, Baby.

♥ On the side of my Starbucks cup (mmm … yummy latte) — The Way I See It:

“There is a subtle difference between a mission and a promise. A mission is something you strive to accomplish — a promise is something you are compelled to keep. One is individual, the other is shared. When a mission and a promise are one and the same … that’s when mountains are moved and races are won.” — Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Huh?

Is it weird that I just watched “W” (a satirical movie about George W. Bush directed by Oliver Stone) and actually had sympathy for the guy? Not sympathy in a oh-you-and-your-administration-are-responsible-for-the-current-state-of our-economy-(a dismal one)-a-misdirected-war-politics-in-its-most-despicable-form-and-I-could-go-on-and-on kind of way. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

But, instead, in a, gee-that-guy-could-of-used-a-hug-from-daddy kind of way.

Reason #8,480 why George W. Bush should have never been president: He had a bone to pick with daddy-o.

Share Food with Others and Lose Weight!

I am watching The Biggest Loser right now and I think this is something you should all check out. What better incentive is there to lose weight when you know you can do it and help others?

The Pound for Pound Challenge — Pledge Now to Make a Difference!!

For every pound you lose during the Pound For Pound Challenge, Pound For Pound will donate 10¢ to Feeding America — enough to provide one pound of groceries to a local food bank.

JOIN HERE NOW!!

To Be Young at Heart …

“Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age
The child is grown, and puts away his childish things.
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay

Excuse Me … Have We Met Before?

Picking up from where I left off late last night ….

Last night I had the opportunity to finally watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a movie featuring several big actors, like Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffalo. It’s a movie I have been wanting to see for quite some time now and, since Dan and I are trying out a free Netflix subscription, we figured, “Hey, why not?”

First of all, let me say that if you are a person who prefers to understand a movie right off the bat, then forget trying to watch this film. It’s confusing and eccentric to say the least, and it’s mildly Tarantino-style of shooting might drive you crazy. But if you are a movie watcher who can resist the urge to consistently say, “What the eff?!” for the entire first hour, then go for it. You will be pleased.

Without giving away the ultimate outcome of the film, let me explain the very, very basic premise: When Joel (Carrey) meets Clementine (Winslet), the two are an instant pair, falling madly (deeply, truly) in love with one another. Things are blissful until things get ugly (yep, the honeymoon is over) and Clementine chooses to erase Joel from her life — literally. The story follows the couple’s journey to forget one another only to discover they were truly meant to be.

When the movie was over, Dan and I looked at each other at the same time. Before I could get out “Would you remember me even if you erased me from your memory?” he said “Would you ever want to erase me from your memory?” Tells you a bit about us.

We giggled. And then, we both became thoughtful. Is true love — that eternal concept of love at first sight — really just two souls’ recognition of a counterpart in one another?

This concept is a wicked, but deep one. I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I do believe in the power of the universe and its knowledge of something much greater than any one of us. I don’t believe we can erase (literally, not figuratively) someone from our lives, but I do believe that great bonds are simply a deeper knowing of a previous history.

I said to Dan, “Maybe I love you so much because I have already known you prior to this life. Maybe you annoyed me so much that I erased you and everyone else knows, except for you and me.”

He laughed and said, “Yes, and, perhaps, when we found each other again, they all said ‘Screw it. Just let them be.'” We giggled again.

The feeling after this movie was one that was reminiscent of the weirded-out vibes you get after watching a movie like “The Matrix” or reading a book like George Orwell’s 1984. What if we are all just one big, computerized, numerical universe? What if we are all being controlled by Big Brother and we don’t know it?

What if I knew you before and these familiar feelings are simply things I have already felt before?

Cue the spooky, Twighlight Zone music.

Would You Remember a Love “Forgotten”?

“How happy is the blameless Vestal’s lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray’r accepted, and each wish resign’d.” — Alexander Pope, “Eloisa to Abelard”

More on this tomorrow …..