Have you ever felt like all your enthusiasm and excitement of reading a book goes away once you buy the book? I always believe that books choose the readers rather than readers choosing books. That is the main reason why, even if we buy certain books wishing to read them right away, we can't even complete a single chapter. 

So, I often wait 2-3 days or many weeks before I choose a new book once I finish my current read. This not only helps me to find my next read but also gives me some time to be with the characters of my last read and to analyse the book in more detail. It was on one of these days I came across an Instagram reel about a book “Eat, Pray, #FML”  by Gabrielle Stone. The content of the reel was something like “ you find out your husband cheating on you, and write a bestseller about it”  

At that precise moment, I decided that this is my next read ( remember what I told you, books choose you). I searched on my Kindle, luckily found the book in the Kindle Unlimited list and started reading it. This book was nothing I imagined it to be. It was such a book where once you finish reading and put down the book with a realization that ‘you’ are no longer the  ‘you’ who started reading it. 

The book, as the reel told, is about the story of Gabrielle Stone from the moment she finds her husband was cheating on her and the events that followed. Once she has enough evidence of the adultery, she files a divorce. She moves to her mother's house. Later she caught up with an old colleague with whom she fell in deep love and they both decide to go on a romantic all European tour. But he calls off the whole plan two days before the trip and Gabrielle decided to go alone and that solo trip of Gabrielle is the reason why we have such an amazing book. 

This book has taught me many things. This is not a self-help book but for most time of reading, I felt like this was one. The things that this book taught me are;

1. Do what frightens you the most.
   Gabrielle was terrified to be alone. She was afraid to even be alone in her own house. She always had her friends or mother around her. But, choosing to travel alone to an unknown country was the life-changing decision for her. So when you choose to abandon the fear, you will find a new better version of yourself. 
    
2. No matter what you do, be true to yourself. 
   All along the book, you will find many thought onions where Gabrielle ponder over her thoughts to find what is the real meaning of her feelings or suffering or whatever you may call it. I found it very authentic. Like how often do we do that? When we have a feeling or a thought, how often do we analyse the reason behind it? 
    
3. Love is selfless.
   This is not a new thought for me. I have always believed love is a selfless form of expressing one's feelings to others. Gabrielle showed me a real example and gave me a strong hope to hold on to my belief. 
    
4. Selflove is the best love.
   Whenever we have a setback in life or when someone breaks our heart, everyone around us will tell us to love ourselves first. But how do we love ourselves? Like, we are told, from childhood, to love our parents, siblings, relatives, teachers and even our pets. But not us. So, when one fine day if everyone starts to advise you to love yourself how do we do it? Gabrielle showed me, with solid evidence, how to love myself. 
    
5. Don't fuss too much about other's opinions.
   There's a quote from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz that goes like “ Don't take anything personally- Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.”  This quote has literally changed my whole concept of life and I am happy about it. Why bother about others opinions and ruin our happiness?

Reading this book has changed me and I am really happy to have that change. Gabrielle, you have opened my eyes and heart to a new world for that I will forever be grateful to you. I have made a list to add to my personal cocktail and I am going to drink that every day!