really? beyond overdue

ok I know it's been forever- but I've decided to get back on the blog bandwagon. I am going to start posting again!!!! I have recently read a book called the Alchemist. I think its one of the best short reads out there. It expanded my mind and challenged my aspirations. Even though I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up I feel as if I have been given once again permission to dream!

In Response

That being said, when we seek after our dreams, or our own "Personal Legends," even if things don't end up how we expect, we still learn. We still grow. We still gain wisdom. There is comfort in seeking a dream, because sometimes your reality becomes better than any concocted fantasy or dream...Reality will often be different than our dreams. Even though we may accomplish what we want, our experiences that helped form and shape us to reach that point may not always be what we expect.

I loved this principle as well, and Nathan and I have seen many examples of this.

When the books ends you see how much he gained from his journey: wisdom and spiritual treasures as well as earthly treasures, a women who loves him, and many amazing memories. It's funny to look back and remember his "ultimate dream" from the beginning, he wanted to stay where he was, gain a large flock, and marry that girl from the village. So many times we think we know what we want and we think we are dreaming big, but in reality our experience is so limited that we can't even dream big enough for what God has in store for us.

One personal example is Nathan and I wanted so badly to be hired by CES to teach seminary. We thought it was the ultimate dream to for us to get a job somewhere, buy a house, settle down, and just teach seminary and have a family. We prayed and prayed and when it didn't work out, we cried and our dream was crushed. We thought it was best for us, but God thought differently. Now that we have moved away and followed a more adventurous path, we look back and think how boring our original dream sounds. With seminary they want you to stay in the same place and be content, possibly even retire where you are originally sent. And most likely that would have been a small town in Utah somewhere. With Nathan's new educational goals and the field he is entering, he will have a myriad of options: teaching, counseling, research, starting up his own clinic, anything! And how many more opportunities does that present for me and our family as we travel to new places and do things that we wouldn't think to do. I'm glad that our original ultimate dream didn't work out and I'm glad that God is in charge, not us.

-Megan

Mockingjay

Mockingjay: Book 3 of the Hunger Games Trilogy

Hey family! Glad the book club is alive and kicking. I am pleased to announce what we all already know: Our second book club book will be Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay- from the Hunger Games trilogy. For those that haven't read the first two books, there is plenty of time. All three books are pretty short reads- and you have until the end of October. I am excited for this book and to discuss the series as a whole.

Keep in mind that while this book is being read, feel free to blog, discuss, or ask questions about the Alchemist. Discussion on the Alchemist will go on until the end of October. November we will begin the discussion on the Hunger Games.

The selection for November's book will be decided by Janae. Keep your fingers crossed.

The Mecca of my Mind

"The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom. That's what I mean by action."

-The Alchemist, page 127.

The thing that impressed me greatly about the Alchemist is that Coelho accomplishes writing a modern day fable in a manner that touches the heart and is very relatable. Several principles of Wisdom jumped out at me, making me think about where I am at in my life and what I can accomplish if I am willing to put my mind forward.

One of the interesting paradoxes in the book was when the boy met the merchant, and the merchant brings up that he would rather keep the his dream of traveling to Mecca alive, rather than realize this dream. This caused me to reflect on many of my dreams. Sometimes, I feel like I am the merchant, who wanted to hold onto the dream rather than fulfill it. I will say there is something satisfying in fulfilling dreams, such as when I served a mission, graduated college, wrote my first play, etc. However, sometimes, it's good to have a few dreams that have not yet been realized, because often those dreams give us hope and encouragement and something to latch onto in times of trial. Also, sometimes when we attempt to realize our dreams, reality disrupts the envisioned endeavor.

That being said, when we seek after our dreams, or our own "Personal Legends," even if things don't end up how we expect, we still learn. We still grow. We still gain wisdom. There is comfort in seeking a dream, because sometimes your reality becomes better than any concocted fantasy or dream. I remember a line from the movie 500 days of summer where the character said something to the effect: My girlfriend is better than any dream girl... because she is real. Reality will often be different than our dreams. Even though we may accomplish what we want, our experiences that helped form and shape us to reach that point may not always be what we expect. And that is what makes the search for our dreams such an intrigue. For now, I am somewhat shamefully content dreaming about the movie I've been dying to write, or the voice lessons I've been planning on taking. However, when you try and reach that dream, whatever it may be, I have often found the joy is not in the attaining of the dream- heck, many times we fail, and the triumph comes from learning from the failures. For me, the joy is in the journey. (yeah, I know, I can't help but to weave EFY themes into my blogging).

If there is one ultimate thing I gathered from this book, it's the importance of perceiving your present situation and understanding the importance of each experience that comes your way. The shepherd boy recognized how the desert speaks to him, he tries to interpret the omens, he reflects on why he has had to deal with each trial or situation. He lives in the present, while looking forward to the future. In attempting to understand where we are at, we can better prepare ourselves and our minds for where we want to go.

"Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."

-The Alchemist

I also love the idea that when you are supposed to attain something in life, (your "personal legend") and you do all you can to attain that goal, that the universe "conspires" to help you achieve that goal. It is an interesting thought on how we can maximize our potential. Work is required, but help is on the way.

Finally, I love this quote:

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions or property. But this fear evaporates when we understand our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand." (76).

How true that is, indeed.