Book Notes

The Alchemist

There are books that everyone should read once. The Alchemist is a book everyone should read often. I don’t quite recall when it was that I first found this book, I think it may have been 2023. Reading it then, I was inspired to spend six months in New Zealand, six months as a ski lift operator in California, and then two months on a farm in Hawaii. But after enough time, the world has a way of draining the magic out of us, stealing our lust for life and for adventure. It has been three years now since I first set out on that period of adventure. This summer, I got a job in Idaho and happened to grab this book while packing up for the drive west. I am glad that I did. This book has a way of reigniting passion in its readers. One’s Personal Legend is an easy thing to lose track of, and I am confident that in the future I will probably get distracted by the daily requirements and numbness in life. But I am also confident that no period of one’s life lasts forever and we can always find our way back to the life that we are meant to live.

I had the opportunity to go and stay with an old friend from the ski resort in California last week. I reread The Alchemist on the flight there, and ultimately decided to leave my copy with my friend. To whoever reads this, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book, and to always chase your Personal Legend.