At each moment along life’s cumbersome, unpredictable, and often complex path, you are exactly where you are meant to be. 

Each “mis-step” or “accidental” destination was actually what you needed then to get where you are now. Own these “mistakes” as part of your incredible story of life. 

Just as Santiago journeyed beyond his home country in search of his “personal legend,” my gap year has been a condensed search for my vocation in life. Where Santiago went in search of treasure, I have been (and still am) in search of who I want to become professionally. 

We both traveled wide and far– through the bustling cities of India, learning about the depth of friendships and layers of history; to the heart of my motherland Nigeria, enveloping myself into culture and discovering who I am through my ancestry; and finally home to the heterogeneity of Philadelphia, a place I remembered as basic and somewhat boring, has become brand new. At home, I’m rediscovering the treasure of familiar faces, the gift of deeply formed faith, and the honor of being at service to strangers. 

Like Santiago, along my journey, I’ve learned the power of “omens,” and that a seemingly unfamiliar face can become the home one never imagined possible. 

And I’ve met “alchemists,” guides, and mentors on this journey, without whom I don’t think I would have made it through at all. A motorcycle accident in India, and getting lost without service in Nigeria are just a couple of times when I faced the reality that strangers were paradoxically the cause of serious grief as well as my greatest comforts.

This novel was surprisingly spiritual for me, in that it reminded me of how each step on my gap year, though treturous, joyful, and complex it has been, is absolutely nothing compared to my whole life which God has written and continues to write. 

What are the next steps in my personal legend?

Here are some practical takeaways for all of us…

1- Love avidly in the present moment. 

This story reminded me of a quote from a priest who led my spiritual pilgrimage through the Holy Land in 2023. “the devil wants to keep you in the past or in the future…Why? Because you can’t love there.”

This present moment is meant for love. In this moment you can actively seek what’s good and beautiful. Start now.

2. Listen to the omens, or what I like to call nudges from the Holy Spirit. 

I think we’ve all had moments when someone randomly comes to mind, and we have a thought to call or message them, but we get distracted or think it would be awkward. The times when I didn’t call, soon enough I see them in person or hear about something that’s happened to them, OR they reach out to me. I’ve learned to trust that when someone comes to mind, there’s a reason and I ought to respond or act. 

Only great things have come out of my random calls and texts to old friends and distant family members. So I challenge you to make the call.

3. Find opportunities for gratitude every single day. 

Much of what Santiago’s experiences were not revealed in the book. Months and years away from what he was used to had to be quite difficult, but he talked of how his adventures were always good because they led him to his present destination. 

Find the good in all of these ordinary moments that make up your extraordinary life. 

Right now, at this very moment, I am so grateful for this time to reflect on what I’ve just read and for this written history of what I’ve learned. It’s a great honor to read a book that makes you ponder life in a new way and I am grateful for the writing of Paulo Coelho.

Have you read “The Alchemist”? What did you think and what takeaways do you have?

Let me know what I should read next!

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