Reflection on the Alchemist

     

In the Alchemist, I found that I could easily relate to Santiago's life journey, and the troubles he faced along the way as well.  I say this because in the book, Santiago dreams about finding a treasure, and after several omens convince him, he decides to seek out this treasure.  The relation there is that I have always dreamt of playing for a well-established, high-ranking soccer team.  After receiving calls to attend some of the Force Football Club's practices (which were my omens), I decided to give it a shot and fulfill my dream.  It wasn't long before I was competing with some of the best player in Michigan, at first I struggled keeping up with the intense pace of the game (one of my obstacles encountered), but after some focus and unrelenting effort, I found myself with a spot on the team and a chance to compete in the Michigan State Premier Soccer League.  I thought all my problems were in my past, but after an unfortunate incident at practice, I managed to throw all my hard work away by re-spraining my ACL.  I thought that that was the end of my soccer career, all the hard work and strict dedication was for nothing.  My heart was in shambles at first from the bad news.  But there was this fire inside me that told me to push myself and beat this unfortunate setback.  After a month in rehabilitation, I was able to strengthen the muscles surrounding my feeble knee, and this turned the tables for me.  My injury can relate to Santiago's hardship in the port of Tarifa because Santiago was so close to reaching his destination with the money he made selling his flock (he was a Shepard before selling how flock), but a thief tricked him into giving him his money in order to keep it safe from thieves in the port city.  This unfortunate setback put Santiago into a position of putting his dream on hold to acquire the funds he needed to travel.  This is how Santiago and I are similar, and this story to this day inspires me to never give up on my dreams.  A quote that can relate to both Santiago and I was written by Greg Anderson, the quote goes,"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it".  The interpretation that can be taken away from that quote would be to enjoy the journey of life, and don't obsess over the end, life is about enjoying the ride and learning from the experiences along the way.