The Alchemist

Didn't manage a blog yesterday. I don't think I'm completely used to the time difference yet. Crashed before I could write this down. I got another book read though, which was pretty much the highlight of my day. And I had a good day, so that's saying something.

In the past two days I started and finished reading The Alchemist. My mom had the book and was reading it, and I had been interested in it for a while but thought it was too expensive to buy.

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Book 4: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

I found it really inspiring, as it talked about things I believe in. Be in the present moment. Follow your dreams now, before you fall into a rut of "someday..." And accept that all hardships you endure are part of the path to your dreams, necessary lessons for you to go through to achieve what you want.

Also, a passage of it spoke to me.

"What is a stranger doing in a strange land?"
"I am following my Personal Legend. It's not something you would understand."

- The Alchemist, p. 111

The main character is asked this by someone along his journey. His "Personal Legend" is what the author calls the dream--or the path to the dream--that he wants to achieve. This is sometimes how I feel like answering people who ask me, "Why Scotland?" The way I'd like to answer is something like, "I've always felt drawn here." But people want a more solid answer, like "I have relatives/ancestors here," or "This school is the best one to go to for my degree." My connection with the land feels like it's deeper than that.

The book was short and sweet, a fun and thoughtful read. Perfect for reading in a sunny garden, which I ended up doing. I'm not surprised it's sold so many millions of copies worldwide.