oprah and snot pots

two subjects that arouse questions, laughter, and perhaps horror.  omar has made a habit of saying “blog post” after any event that is out of the ordinary.  a great dish, weird moment, crazy comment, whatever.  as we sat at the table this morning i told him of my crazy sinus pressure.  ”i used the neti pot,” i told him. we then started coming up with junior high boy names for it. “snot pot” won. “blog post,” omar said.  he then asked where i first heard about them.  i proudly answered, “oprah.”  omar responded, “now it’s definitely a blog post.”

so it is.  what other person can talk about a neti pot one day and religion the next? oprah fascinates and freaks me out at the same time.  fascinates because i hear so many women use her lingo, even when it’s weird or questionable.  freaks me out because especially in regards to religion/christianity she is so off base yet she chooses often to use christian language.  i consider watching her an assignment on figuring out what the average american woman is thinking – for good or for not-so-good.   

a couple of months ago i turned the show on and saw elizabeth gilbert, the author of eat, pray, love being interviewed.  it was evidently a follow-up visit because of her popularity.  gilbert explained again how she left her husband and set about on her travels which resulted in the book.  many audience members then shared the influence the book had on their lives.  they explained how they set up their own ashrams in their homes to meditate in, even though several women said they had no idea what they were doing.  they were just working on emptying their minds and finding peace.  hmm.  others proudly spoke of how they now put their needs and wants first. gilbert and oprah encouraged these women.  when one asked if this was perhaps selfish, gilbert answered that if it benefits you then it is not selfish.  the real kicker came, though, when oprah asked gilbert to define “god.”  gilbert answered, “god is the perfection that absorbs.”  she then affirmed that the notion was indeed gnostic.  even oprah acted a little confused but didn’t question her.  i think she followed up with one of her catch phrases like, “thank you for giving voice to your belief.”  

so there you go.  yes, i watch oprah.  she sucks you in with the allure of the neti pot then makes you fiery with talk of mind-emptying ashram meditation.  let’s just say it keeps me thinking.