Escape from New York

It seems like everybody and their mama has been reading this book "Eat. Pray.Love." thanks in large part to Oprah who featured the writer on her show and continues to rave about the book every chance she gets. So I went ahead and got the book and recently finished it. I must admit it was interesting reading about a divorced, miserable, brokenhearted woman who picked up and traveled through Italy and India and Bali for almost a year in a valiant effort to find a spiritual meaning behind her heartache.

Now that's all fine and good for her but as for me, I can't afford to go anywhere for a whole year just to heal my aching heart. A part of me thinks it would be nice but another part thinks it might drive me officially insane. I mean ,a year with nothing but time on my hands to think about my ex? Uhmmm, I don't think so. I do know that sometimes it is good to get away, to get things in perspective, to remove yourself from a situation so you can really look at it, assess it, leave it in the past , and make plans for the future.

So on that note, I did decide to take a trip to Arizona to visit an old elementary school friend who I haven't seen in years. She has been wanting me to come out for a minute, I had some business to take care of out there, and I figured that with everything I've been through with my relatinship falling a[part right in front of my eyes, the imimg couldn't have been better. As I write this I am not in New York City, not in 40 degree weather, not dealing with the subways, not constantly being reminded of my ex because of all the places we used to go in the city. Instead I am writing this as I sit by the pool under the sun in my bathing suit. Which is nothing compared to how I spent my birthday on Sunday--sitting on the beach in Mexico, looking at the ocean, sipping Pina Coladas. Happy birthday to me!! I read magazines, paperback novels, and wrote in my journal. I also took advantage of the cleansing air and atmosphere of the beach to write and release my Let Go Let Go Letter which is basically a letter you write to yourself listing the things and people you need to let go of and the reasons why. Then you can burn it or, if you are near an ocean like I was, just place it in the water and watch it float way. It was a good way to get the relationship off of my mind although I mus admit that being relaxed and buzzed in the sun in a beautiful foreign country I really wasn't thinking about any of that. Ex boyfriend who? Failed relationship what?

Yes, there is something to be said for getting away while your heart heals. I highly recommend that you do it if you can, even if it's only for a few days. We`all can't be like the Eat. Pray. Love. lady but we can, if necessary, find a way to get away. I'm sure glad I did.

But I know I'll be back in Brooklyn before I know it--on Saturday to be exact--so I'm going to go jump in the pool now. Ciao!