Whenever I feel lost or low, I like to watch ‘Eat Pray Love’; the movie adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s masterpiece of a novel. Each time I watch it, no matter what I’m going through, one quote will stick to me like glue. And today was no different.
The Scene
Eat Pray Love Rome Julia Roberts QuoteElizabeth is exploring the underground tunnels of, Italy, explaining how they had been abandoned and become ruins underneath the beating heart of the beautiful city of Rome. But they had not been forgotten, and had in fact been transformed for different uses throughout history. And so she begins to conclude, that in fact ‘ruin’ does not mean the end of the road, it is a gift. A way of setting out on a new path, to transform yourself and your life through your experiences and hardships.
A Metaphor
I had watched this scene several times before without batting an eyelid. But this time the word, ‘ruin’, sat rather uncomfortably with me. It suddenly felt like the perfect word to describe my current situation.
I literally feel like I’m lying in the crumbling pieces of my past life, desperately trying to glue everything back in its place. I’ve lost family members, my health, my independence, my job, my financial security… I can’t keep up with the pace of my life’s destruction. And its made me feel hopeless and in ruin…
The Hope in Your Destruction
However, I adored how Elizabeth put a spin on it all. The idea that ‘ruin’ can present itself as a new starting point seemed rather revolutionary! ‘Ruin’ is a road to transforming me and my life. Providing me an opportunity to review what I really want from life and set out on a new path. – Well I never!
These moments of ‘ruin’ can enter our lives at any time and without any warning. It’s up to us to, in time, embrace the transformation with everything we’ve got and take the next leap into our new life.
You never know, It might well be the making of us!
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