The Alchemist

(Originally written and posted to my Facebook page on May 30, 2011.)

Wow! Awhile back, a dear friend posted about the awesomeness of The Alchemist. Anxious to try out my local library system's ebook check-out procedure, I put my name on the waiting list for it. What a gem it's turning out to be! I'm not even done reading it yet and am totally in love with it. To make it even better, I found out that a dear friend is also reading it at the exact same time I am! It's even inspired my next tattoo - maktub (look it up!).

I want to take the time to share some of my fave quotes with you. Enjoy!

"I'm alive," he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. "When I'm eating, that's all I think about. If I'm on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other. Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival because life is the moment we're living right now."

"I'm going away," he said. "And I want you to know that I'm coming back. I love you because..." "Don't say anything," Fatima interrupted. "One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving." But the boy continued, "I had a dream, and I met with a king. I sold crystal and crossed the desert. And, because the tribes declared war, I went to the well, seeking the alchemist. So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you."