You may remember that awhile back I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and decided to take a good look at my life and dreams. I’m interested in L-I-V-I-N-G as opposed to existing and am convinced that there’s a better way to meld the life and dreams that I have.

I guess this is just a long way of saying I’ve been feeling introspective lately. It’s such a weird place for me to be. I’m usually the sassy go-to girlfriend, the life of the party, the social butterfly reading / commenting / posting and flitting around in general.

Strangely I seem to have lost my game. I wouldn’t quite call this place depression, but it’s definitely not sparkling effervescence either. It’s like I’m in a holding pattern and my usually quick wit has deserted me. (Let’s all pray that it’s a temporary condition)

Busy life with hubs and our three kids is still going on and I find that when I do have some free time, (when I’m not torturing myself in hot yoga classes) I’ve been spending it pondering.

No epiphanies have occurred, and no major changes have taken place. I’m sort of mellow though and haven’t been making too much time for posting.

And when I do make it out and about to all of your lovely blogs I just can’t quite muster commenting. I hope you can forgive me and stick it out as I go through what I can only describe as “percolating.”

I’ve just finished reading a book that has become one of my all time favorites, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. You may remember that I was reading it (along with a few other books) a while back. Well, I finally found an uninterrupted chunk of time to sit down and really get through it.

This book is amazing. It’s the story of a young boy named Santiago who has a dream and the courage to follow it. He’s on a bit of a treasure hunt and along the way he follows “the signs” and meets a variety of people. Some, who like him, have followed their dreams and are living lives of purpose and fulfillment. And others, who have not, and are living lives of emptiness.

It’s a story about knowing that everything is possible if you have the courage to believe it. After reading it, I’ve been inspired to take a good look at the life I’ve created for myself and the dreams I’ve always had. Some of them are present in this life of mine and some are sitting, gathering dust on the shelf.

I don’t want to come to the end of my life with those dusty dreams never having seen the light of day. So hubs and I have been discussing what we really want in life and what, if anything needs to change for us to achieve it.

One thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is my job. I’m not happy but have been sticking it out thinking it would get better or that it’s really the only option in this tiny town we’ve settled in. Now I’m reevaluating. Maybe it’s not the only option, maybe I’m not stuck, maybe I don’t have to settle. Nothing drastic has changed (yet) other than my awareness - I’ll keep you posted.

If you’ve got any dusty dreams of your own, I highly recommend checking out The Alchemist and seeing what it inspires and where it takes you…