Hopefully we will all have a little time off this holiday season. Time to rest, relax, restore our spirits. Maybe even time to do some reading! I have been traveling so much this year, and being on airplanes stresses me out. I can’t work on a plane, so I like to take a book. When it’s a good book, the time goes by quickly. I read a lot of nonfiction, so this last trip I was looking for something different, something meaningful, and yet fun; some story that would take me away from the hassles of travel and let me coast on my imagination for awhile. I went to my local bookstore to browse around, and was drawn to “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. Maybe it was the title, maybe it was that I knew I could get through it in one flight, or maybe it was the fact that the story is partially set in Spain, and I seem to have a fascination with Spain these days. Whatever the reason, I bought the book, read the book, LOVED the book! The Alchemist first came out in English in 1993, so this is not a new book, it’s just new to me. The theme could be summed up in this line from the book: “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” If you haven’t read “The Alchemist,” I encourage you to do so. It is beautifully written, inspiring, and just magical! I bought copies for many of my friends and relatives as holiday gifts this year.

The Alchemist