The Alchemist

This, is the perfect book for a 6 hour flight. I first read this book in my 20s, and thought it was an interesting story, but I hadn’t yet lived enough life to understand the depth of this book. It’s a book you can revisit many times, and get what you need out of it. This is a book for those committed to following the path of their heart, willing to being taken around the world, and content with the paradox that you never had to go anywhere, but you did to go on the journey.

It’s been said a million ways, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey.

As a lifelong wanderer, mabye, just maybe, I got it this time.

There’s many other lessons in this book. It’s the kind of book you can flip to a page, and ask your higher self, what it wants you to contemplate today. It may be just a single word.

So as for my second reading of this book, I got this copy on the way home from surf camp in Costa Rica. There’s a lesson in here about needing to surf another wave to come back and surf my home break better, but never actually having needed to leave, because moana can teach you wherever as long as your receptive. Ha, I mostly kidding right now. I’m getting too deep here. I needed a coach to fix my weak paddle.

So, anyhow, I was in the airport in Pheonix. I don’t generally stop in the airport bookstores anymore, but I felt compelled to and saw the beautiful 25th anniversary edition of the Alchemist. I bought 2 because I had a feeling the 2nd copy was for someone else. My first thought was that it was for my kids that are old enough to start thinking about these kinds of things. But it didn’t feel quite right. Couldn’t they just read my copy? I bought it anyway.

So, as I went to pay, the checker, a guy in his early 20s…you know where this story is going now…mentioned another person just bought this book and he asked me what it was about. I told him, I hadn’t read it in 20 years, but if I recall correctly, it’s about the journey to find your life’s path. He said, oh, that’s interesting, I need to check it out. So, the lightbulb went off. Oh! This copy is for you. And then I felt PUSHED out of the store, as if the universe was saying, we’re done here, don’t say another word.

So maybe, buy two copies.