Rae La Soul

I’d been hearing so much about The Alchemist and how great and profound this book was and how enlightening it was. I’ve read plenty of books. Some have made me laugh, cry, and even angry. Perhaps that was their sole purpose.. to erect some type of emotion, any emotion. I’ve even read a few books that have opened my eyes, filled my heart, and removed the limitations of my mind. But only a few. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of those few.

I know a few of my fellow bloggers are reading this book and so I won’t go into full detail about it. But, I do want to share the bits and pieces of the book that touched me and that set off so many lightbulbs I could have put Entergy out of business. Yea, I’m serious.

Thank God for Post-it Flags. As you can see, there were so many points in the book that I wanted to return to in case I needed a little pick me up or a little reminder of my purpose. My purpose in life. I won’t post all of them, but I’ll share a few of my favorites.

When I read this in the book, I could so easily recall when I’ve felt this way. The only difference is that I didn’t feel the hurt or the dismay. Instead, I felt foolish that I had allowed myself to be so hurt that I’d think that everyone was the same. I felt foolish for comparing my so called “losses” to the so called “successes” of others which led me to believe that I wasn’t good enough. That I’d never be good enough.

But as I continued to read, I also recalled how I had to realize that I had to get in tune with my own destiny and focusing on the lives of others would most definitely leave me out of sync. I remember how it dawned on me that perhaps those that have already achieved their goals were already in sync and in tune with themselves. Perhaps. And who was I to wonder why they were so worthy? I had no idea what they had gone through. How much they cried. And prayed. And fought for what they wanted. Then it became damn near crystal clear why I it felt as though I was stuck.

And then I remembered how I had to shift all that focus and energy back towards myself. I was responsible for my own journey. My own destiny. I only had control, although sometimes limited, over what occurred in my life. And I had to get back on a path that I had strayed so far away from. My own path.

And I had to remember all of those along my path–those that hurt me, betrayed me, and abandoned me. But more importantly, I had to remember all those who remained with me and loved me. And I had to rediscover how important and powerful love can be.

And just as they loved me wholeheartedly, I need to provide some reciprocity. And I loved them. With every single bit of me.

I read this. And I smiled. And I realized that I have plenty of alchemists around me everyday of my life. And throughout all of my striving and the striving that’s to come, I hope to become an alchemist too.