Not only did Gilbert go off with enough money for that one year, she paid for it with the advance that her publisher gave her for the book idea that would become Eat, Pray, Love. So really, she didn't just wander off without a plan. She wandered off to recover from her divorce and the sense of feeling lost, but she intended all along to do something with her experience.

I once heard someone say that women "overshare" because their stories have not been told in history. I thought that was a neat idea. What some would call "oversharing" with a woman, would be considered "honest and intelligent" from a man. There is a double-standard that is so easy to believe, I find myself believing it sometimes.

Gilbert may have been a tad self-indulgent, but she was also brave.

Touching of the concept of "enlightenment," not only do some feminists seem to think that there is a right way to be enlightened, it has to be their way of enlightenment.

I'm really interested in women's issues and feminism and have been a feminist for a long time, but I am highly critical of the dogmatic approach that can exist in feminism. We're shooting ourselves in the foot. I meet women who have feminist beliefs but are hesitant to identify themselves as such, because they don't want to be thought of as crazy people.

And you know what? I can't blame them.

And you're right, the concept that you're not a "good enough" (insert movement) exists in many other political and social contexts. And it's a real shame.