Broken Open

When I first saw the book I scoffed at the sub title…How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow.  I dislike it when someone says it’s the journey, not the destination, without challenges you couldn’t grow as a person, its part of life and on and on.  What does anyone know about the turmoil going on in my head or my life? 

 I was in Costco getting tires changed on the car and had a 4 hour wait.  Needless to say I knew every aisle in Costco quite well.  As I mentioned my reaction to seeing the book "Broken Open" by Elizabeth Lesser was not positive.  2 hours later when I was circling back through the book section I picked up the book and flipped it open to the middle of the chapter titled What Einstein Knew.   Standing in the middle of Costco I cried and felt relief as I read what the psychic told her about her marriage and her soul and it was the right thing for her to do to leave her husband and get a divorce.   Having been only two years from moving out from my own husband, the guilt is still there from my divorce.  After all, he loved me, gave me a decent life, didn’t beat me and yet I was very unhappy and figured it was because I was ungrateful and a number of other untruths.  I know I made the right decision to leave and have since been “broken open” and it has been painful.  The pain wasn’t in the loss of the relationship but the discovery of myself.

 I emailed Elizabeth thanking her for her book and the above story.   I was surprised to receive the following email:

Dear Christina,

Thank you for your beautiful email. I have been hearing from so many readers since my crazy Oprah debut! It's been overwhelming. I have been sending a (hopefully kindly) form letter to most readers. I hate doing that, but I have  to. but I just had to respond to you. I thank you for your kind remarks and honor you for your courage to live your life fully.

Love, Elizabeth

I am thankful for my 4 hour Costco trip and would have never picked up the book had it not been for the extra time to wander.  I'm thankful that Elizabeth wrote a book that could touch my soul.  And I'm thankful that I could be "broken open" to become the person and on the path that I am on now.