"Sometimes I appear in the form of a solution, or a good idea.
At other times, at a crucial moment,
I make it easier for things to happen.
There are other things I do, too,
but most of the time people don't realize I've done them."
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
On the recommendation of my son Jay, I read "The Alchemist" last weekend. I went to the library and found they had 47 copies of this international bestseller by Spanish author Paulo Coelho, and all of them were checked out, which of course is a testament to its popularity. When I asked about reserving a copy at the Reference Desk, the librarian smiled and said she thought she remembered seeing an extra copy in the back. She briskly proceeded to a room behind the check-out desk and returned with a paperback copy labeled as "Storage."
"The Alchemist" tells the story of a young man who has chosen to be a shepherd rather than a career more suitable for his advanced education because of his desire to travel and see the world. The book is about his journey through life, following his Personal Legend.
It's a great book in the tradition of Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha" and Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet," books which I enjoyed immensely when I discoverd them in college. It's a light one to pack and contemplate on your next vacation, and for me, reading a good book is always a part of the overall vacation experience.
However, maybe reading a book on vacation feels like wasted time to you when you could be luxuriating in the spa or beating the odds in the casino. My friend Florence once said that to her, cruising was for people who wanted someone else to tell them what to do while on vacation. Florence loves to independently travel to exotic places where they have exceptional shopping. As a florist, she also seeks unique horticulture wherever she goes. Like my mother, I have no doubt that she enjoys choosing the right outfit for the right occasion, and travel gives her the opportunity to custom tune a lovely wardrobe exactly suitable to her voyage. As most experienced cruisers would tell her, Florence can enjoy those same experiences on a cruise, plus find more wonderful activities in the gaps.
A cruise, you see, can be whatever you want it to be. You can get adventurous, swimming with sharks or ziplining through a jungle. It can be a gourmet experience, seeking the finest restaurants in far flung parts of the globe and onboard your floating resort. Or, it can be just the fun of being onboard a cruise ship, playing the games, sipping the drinks, enjoying the meals, cheering the terrific entertainment...all the things people associate with cruises but don't necessarily, contrary to what Florence apparently believes, dominate the experience.
What do you want to find on your journey? My wife and I always take special delight in finding awesome snorkeling beaches and magnificent waterfalls. We also enjoy seeing where history unfolded. We love to ponder the miracles of nature and man's accomplishments by day, and then have a spectacular night on the town aboard our ship that evening while heading to the next great stop.
What type of journey would put you on the path to fulfilling your Personal Legend? I'd like to help you get there.
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