THE ALCHEMIST

 THE ALCHEMIST

Paulo Coelho.

Photo credit: BBN Times 

Hello.It has been a long minute since i last saw you.I missed you.I missed being here.Welcome back.Let's get the ball rolling,shall we?

This week we dive into a book that i consider one of my favorites since i have read it twice already.The Alchemist is a recommendation that i stumbled upon when watching  youtube.I came across it severally after that on recommendations on Pinterest and TikTok,i knew i had to read it.At the time i was reading it for the first time ,i was going through a transformation in my life and it came in handy.The second time was a few weeks ago and reading it affirmed everything that has been happening in my life.

The book is about a shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from Spain(Andalusia) to the pyramids in Egypt in search of his treasure.In the quest for his treasure,he embarks on a journey that is not easy and along the way he faces challenges that even he,considers giving up and going back to his hometown and forgetting all about the treasure.

There is so much wisdom contained in the book that once you get a hang of it you will not want to put it down.It is a page turner.Santiago's story is not just about the treasure,it is about the process to getting that treasure.There is so much he has to endure and learn before he eventually gets to his destination.It is a journey of exploration and self discovery.The art of pursuing what your heart desires.It Is getting comfortable with the process.

"We have to be prepared for change."

Each and every one of us has a dream that we want to achieve someday.We want to achieve it as soon as possible.How about we take a breather and allow ourselves to enjoy the journey we are on as we get ready to achieve our goals?.There will be obstacles,no doubt about that,but we will be able to overcome them when equipped with the right tools.

"It is the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

"And dreams are a language of God".

Everyone has a personal calling.Everyone has a purpose.Infact,Everything(Living or non-living) has a purpose and we just have to listen a little more to understand what that purpose is.Deep within us,we want to accomplish our personal legends.(Personal Legend is what you have always wanted to accomplish).We just have to listen to our hearts and follow our dream.We have to follow the omens.

(Omen-individual language that God talks to you) that will guide us in the right direction.

My favorite part of the book was when Santiago was in the desert and encountered Fatima,a woman of the desert.He wanted to stay there for the rest of his lifetime because he had found this beautiful woman and they loved each other.As a hopeless romantic ,I was giggling like a fool because, love.Fatima, however,encouraged him to continue with his journey because that was the right thing to do.This part is so beautifully written and I was awwing the entire passage.

"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his personal legend.If he abadons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love…the love that speaks the language of the world."

There are many other interesting parts and you will have to read the book to dig all of them.It is a delightful read.Paulo,through his poetic writing style and biblical imagery and citation makes sure that when you are done reading the book,you immediately start to follow your dream.Your personal legend.I recommend this to everybody on the journey of self discovery and even those who want a good book for their next reading.It is worth reading for everyone, at least in their lifetime .

That's it for this week.I know it's lengthy but the book is meaty and has so much to learn from.It is always important to take away something in every book you read.I'll see you on the next one and until then stay safe.

NOTE:

I will be doing an audio version(podcast) of this books so you can check that out.You are welcome to recommend books that you have read and enjoyed.I'll keep you posted, in the meantime let's interact in the comment section as well as on Social media.Find me @EstherMwelu on Twitter and Instagram.