I finally read the book, “Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho, you know the famous book that many claim changed their lives forever! I wonder why I am just now picking up this book even though I have been hearing about it for far too long. Only guess is that I feel more open now than I have ever felt before; I feel so open that anything is possible-which truly confuses me because feeling that there are no impossibilities in my universe, is about as unrealistic as one gets but then if I only want to look at just what the truest realities hold, dreams would become useless because what are dreams for anyway?
Suddenly I feel this intense craving and hole carving in my heart to see the world and truly explore it, it is so intense I am filled with anxiety in my entire body about what to do of such feelings? The desire to see the world can no longer reside in my memory and will have to start becoming real for me, not just something I stay dreaming and longing for like the Crystal merchant in the book Alchemist, who stayed 30years in his crystal shop dreaming of going to Mecca but never did because that was the dream that kept him alive and because that’s what helps him face these days that are all the same, “these mute crystals on the shelves, lunch and dinner at that same horrible café…” he said. When I read this part of the book, It dawned on me about the quest of exploration we all carry, we can either be like the merchant or start where we are to make possible what can be!
So, it does feel like I have started but yet I feel like I need to know more, I need to learn more. I am sitting here pondering about the things there is to learn about the world, about cultures, about people, about religion, about politics, about languages and about everything there is that could make you feel well-versed and seem more knowledgeable about life. Another thought flies through my mind, that no one should ever complain of being bored because there is so much to savor about being alive, and truly that begins from developing a conscious curiosity about your desires and your being here on earth; about what part of the world you are in and the parts that are yet to be discovered by you; about the language you speak and the ones that intrigue you to learn, about nations you never thought you will stumble into by meeting someone new and about foods that you never even heard of but exist. Truth is I do get bored easily and with this emerging desire, I am being more open now than I have ever been because my heart is open to really see the world and appreciate the beauty and the not so beautiful as part of the art of being alive. I am more open now, so when I look back I want to kick myself in the butt for having spent so much time feeling bored when I could have been learning a new language, or studying something new and interesting about the world. That past is the past, today is today and it is for being open to learning and gaining new experiences, so I think that to myself at this time and I can’t help but smile.
I have a lot of life ahead of me, so while I feel this craving and this hole being carved in my heart to see the world; such as learn a new language- start with French of course because Paris is my first stop as I embark on my adventure; I just know that I can’t beat myself up about what I don’t know versus things I desire to know, to see, to feel, to be, to learn… Here is my resolution to this aching desire to see the world…to be continued in the second part, titled “10 things to Fuel your Desire to see the WORLD”
About Adedayo: Adedayo is a writer working on her first book, a coffee-table book titled “The Art of Being Alive”. The book has been a year long project for Adedayo as she has been uncovering stories from individuals around the globe exploring the meaning of life by collecting stories, doing interviews, research , writing with a bit of local travelling at the moment. You can also find the “Art of Being Alive Series” on her Huffington Post Blog. Click here to follow the journey on facebook and on twitter @ adedayofashanu
