Ketut Liyer from Eat Pray Love!
What an amazing experience!! We woke up around 6am, had breakfast and headed out for his house to wait for Ketut to start his day. Since the movie Eat Pray Love with the forever famous Julia Roberts, he has become a busy man. Before the movie he saw maybe 3 people a day and sometimes none at all. Now, there are 25 numbers... first come first serve. 25 people a day seems like a lot to me for a 99 year old man, but he is so happy for the company that never ceases to end. We were number 8! After introductions he brought out the Eat Pray Love book by Elizabeth Gilbert and sweetly flipped through the pages showing us where his name was printed... this seemed to make him extremely proud and happy. I was thrilled! Then he handed me a letter from Elizabeth Gilbert herself asking me to read it to him because he doesn't know English all that well. The letter was a kind letter of well wishes to Ketut because he had been sick with kidney stones and was undergoing surgery soon. She had sent gratitude for teaching her about love, sent her love and signed it with a heart followed by her name. He didn't know what 'gratitude' meant, what sending love meant or what the symbol of a heart was supposed to mean. We tried our best to explain. He asked if we had read the book and was happy when we said yes, of course, that is why we are here! After he put the book and letter away he had me sit Indian style in front of him, looking at my eyes, ears, cheeks, and forehead... he said he was happy and glad I came. He took my palm and began with the life line... telling me I'd live to 100 and that my husband would live to 101. He talked about love, marriage, children, success, my family in heaven, and that I must slow down when driving. He traced the vein in my arm and became startled with goosebumps... raising his shirt to show them to us several times. This was good he said, great blood... I have no idea what this is supposed to mean? Regardless, we loved meeting Ketut! It was a really special moment and he's charming to say the least. I hope we are as happy when we're 99 as we found him to be. A simple life and full of happiness and a laugh that is contagious. You just can't help smiling in his presence.
"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life." -Ketut Liyer
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