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Sometimes life gives you lemons, and nobody knows this more than Karstee Davis.

Within 12 months, her then husband was in Afghanistan and she was battling endometriosis. Not long after, she faced a difficult surgery, her husband filed for divorce and she moved back in with her parents.

During this difficult time, a friend suggested Davis read Elizabeth Gilbert’s popular novel, Eat Pray Love. The book and the lessons that followed changed her life and gave her reason to be hopeful again. Davis started a gratitude journal, joined a yoga studio and secured a job at CU-Boulder in the Office of International Education. She signed up for a travel writing class and began to write personal essays as a way to process the difficulties she encountered.

In short, the book changed her life and she didn’t have to traipse halfway around the world to find answers.

“Since my divorce and all the things that happened, it’s been about finding a way to live authentically,” said Davis. “It’s about learning to accept things that happen to you in life and not dwell on them. And to be grateful.”

Last fall, when Gilbert put out a request for 1,500-word essays on the topic of how Eat Pray Love impacted readers’ lives, Davis knew she had a story to share.

“I know how important the original book was for me,” said Davis, a study abroad program assistant. “My particular story is something I’ve dabbled with in different ways for a long time now.”

Davis penned an essay, Fall Risk, about the difficulties she encountered, and Gilbert selected the essay—one of only 47—for her new novel, Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It. In recognition for her essay, Davis and her sisters will be honored guests at Thursday, May 5, at the Paramount Theatre in Denver.  

“It’s kind of scary to put it out there,” said Davis. “It’s about finding the right balance of putting emotion in, but not baring your whole soul and being fair to the people you put in it. Honest, but not unfair.”

Working at CU-Boulder has been a big part of Davis’ healing process, she says. Through her work as a study abroad program assistant, she matches CU-Boulder students with study abroad programs and helps international students feel welcome on campus.

“My work at CU has been really instrumental in making me become who I want to be,” said Davis. “It’s all intertwined. I didn’t go anywhere for my ‘Ah ha’ moment. It’s all of our jobs to become better people. Part of that, in my opinion, is being more global-minded, accepting and not scared.”

Davis hopes her story can help other people overcome adversity and practice gratitude in their own lives.

“We all experience big life things,” she said. “It’s good to hear many different perspectives on how to handle those moments with grace. The more experience you have, the more people you meet, the more you can connect and overcome adversity. There’s a lot of hope in the world.”