A bookworthy life?

A really cool thing happened this week. I found out that a fiction novel was written based on events in my life! The wierd thing is, the author didn't even tell me about it (a little surprising, I will admit), and instead I just happened to come across it because a friend recommended it to me...

The book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was published in 1993, which is also surprising because I was only 8 years old then, so I'm not sure how Coelho knew about all of the events that would occur in my life... I guess he has psychic powers. Anyway, the story is about a shepard boy from Spain who is pursuing his "Personal Legend," that is, the path that your heart tells you to follow, should you choose to listen. It is stated that only those who truly listen to their heart will be lead to true happiness.

As I read the book, it slowly became clear that this character was written to represent me. You see, all of the obstacles the boy encountered seemed to be analogous to things I have faced, and am currently facing, in my own life. At times, he was very scared of losing everything, as I sometimes am. He even doubted himself and thought about turning back, as I sometimes do. Reading all of this, I was truly amazed at how Coelho could have predicted these things back in 1993, but was nonetheless happy to glimpse into what the future might have in store for me. I wont give away the ending, for the sake of those that still plan to read the book (or follow the story of my life for that matter) but you can imagine...

So, even though this book was technically about me, I suspect that anyone else living their own Personal Legend may also benefit from reading it. Maybe the events of my life as portrayed by the shepard boy will also provide some insight for you. ;)

To end, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the story of my life:

"My heart is a traitor, it doesn't want me to go on." - Shepard boy

"That makes sense. Naturally it is afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you've won." - The Alchemist

"You will never be able to escape from your heart. So its better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unantipated blow." - The Alchemist

"When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I would have never seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepard to achieve." - Shepard boy