The Alchemist…FINALLY!

 I finally got round to reading Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. I am proud of myself considering the fact it has taken me almost three years since I said I would? The first time I failed because it was an audio book which didn’t work for me. There is no question mark against Morgan Freeman’s voice. I am simply a paperback girl. I decided to wait until I could get my hands on either a soft copy that is Ebook or paperback.

I downloaded the Ebook version, sat on it for months and remembered it after all the fluff reading I had done. I have to say it is a very good book. It reminds us of what we already know, think and teaches us more. I don’t know if any of you believe in omens but I do. I believe in a cock’s crow, the black and white lizard and the odd bird poop on your person. It never crossed my mind that butterflies and crickets are good omens. In fact, I thought otherwise. The book talks so much of believing and following omens such as butterflies etc implying they are good omens and how you must always look out for them to guide you on to the right path in your quest to achieving your dreams.

Essentially, it is about dreams -the beauty of following them and believing in your heart and yourself. We were all created with an intention and a purpose. He talks about Santiago’s journey as a Shepherd from the mountains of Spain to the pyramids of Egypt in search of his treasure. The struggles he faced, lessons he learnt just to achieve his dream, how he finally becomes The Alchemist and also later finds his treasure in the one place he left in the beginning.

I found it quite relative and reflective of human nature. We all have dreams, the strong are the ones who follow their hearts and fulfil their dreams whilst the weak are the ones who sit on them or give up once they encounter obstacles as it says, ‘Before a dream is realised, The Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so we can learn, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we have learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up.’ and at the end of it all blame the world for all our failures. I can’t say it had a huge impact on me, it was more like an affirmation of what I already know and then some.

The book has so many quotable quotes and profound texts but for me it has to be, ‘Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears…’ Reading this reminded me of the conversation I had with my sister and the post I did about dreams here. I cried during that text session like no man’s business. And the quote brought back the same emotions and a little tear to my eyes. Dreams are everything, they are the driving force behind who we are and without them, we are nothing.You can decide to be like the Arab crystal seller whose dream is to go to Mecca- he’d rather dream about the possibility, work towards it and not see it through because he doesn’t want to find another dream or be like Santiago and go after what you want.

I do recommend the book if you have not had the pleasure of reading it. What next as regards my reading list? I guess Don Quixote. It sounds English which I love. I think English (British) writers are the best!! My aunt recommended it. On to the business of looking for it.