Adventures in Imperfection

I Write Down Wishes So That They Come True

MamaMickTerry

And when you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it

~~Paulo Coelho from The Alchemist

*****

It’s no secret to the people who live inside my bubble, that I’ve been unsettled all summer. That I’m antsy and tackling bones that won’t rest. On the days that I don’t travel for work, I walk through my flowers in the morning so I can catch the sun’s rays on the petals as well as check for dry soil and droopy leaves. It’s necessary and sets the stage for a productive day.

My evening ritual takes the same route–but it’s a medicinal meander and I use it to meditate and look for a family of owls who join me sometimes. 

My eyes land on bees and butterflies as my heart tries to leap through my rib cage to the huge sycamore overlooking my precious space. 

 

Each evening, thoughts drift to What am I doing? What is my purpose? Why am I here?

 

I was the daydreamer in my family–the weird kid with a penchant for Grimm’s Fairy Tales and wild horses. Someone with a five-on-the-Richter scale fantasy life held back by responsibility and the closed door of a confessional. All curled up on a couch, reading about other people doing all the things I wanted to do: travel the world, save someone’s life, protect the innocent, scribble pretty passages on parchment pages for other people to read.

I’d often be lost in a world of my own, and didn’t require the protection of wool blankets and night lights for me to carry those vivid imaginations into the real world. I knew I’d grow up, and be responsible despite my hankering for the high seas, dragons, and unicorns. I did  go to college, secured a great job, and launched a couple of different careers in healthcare. I had resigned myself to process improvement algorithms and CMS quality metrics.

Then I started to write.

And read.

And I started to have dreams again.

Stirrings.

Passions.

Wishes.

In your childhood, how many times have you heard one of the following?

  • If you tell your wish before you blow out your candles, it won’t come true
  • Don’t get your hopes up
  • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Think of a vivid dream you’ve had–either now or in your childhood. Remember how it made your skin tingle because it felt so real. How the hair stood up on the back of your neck or perhaps, how you gasped because you could feel yourself falling and trying to wake up.

Maybe you didn’t want to rouse because the dream was so sweet, laced with serenity and clarity. Maybe it was about someone you loved, someone you lost, or that baby sleeping in the room next to you. Perhaps you resisted the flutter of opening eye lids, or like me, would try to go back to sleep to resume the reverie.

How often have you smashed your joy because you thought things were going too well? Didn’t dare to wish for something you feared wouldn’t come true. That the shoe was going to fall off the other foot. 

How many times have you gotten excited about an inspired idea only to have someone you love and respect hack it down with common sense and good intentions? I don’t want you to be disappointed.

What if we were to take a different approach? Stand toe to toe with our wishes and dare them not to come true. Smash the critics, release the dandelion seeds, grab the star, and put the DO in just do it.

Write down wishes so that they can come true.

I’m grateful for my job and the food it puts on the table, but it doesn’t feed my soul like birds and bees and flowers and trees. My heart doesn’t swell with love and awe when I look at a spreadsheet, or hop on an airplane.

On average, I read one or two books/week–devouring words like it’s a last meal. For most of the summer, The Alchemist had been buried under Seven Brief Lessons in Physics and The Atomic Weight of Love. More than once, the burnt orange covered beckoned me to open, but I ignored the siren’s call of pretty parchment and opted for words I thought would be easier to grasp.

The Great Gatsby

Little Women

The Old Man and the Sea

But, Did you Die?

And yet, the book lingered in the spaces between mundane brain fire.  What is an alchemist? Who is the story about? Do I know anybody who has read it? 

I shoved the questions to the side and turned the pages of Thank and Grow Rich and practiced gratitude for thirty days straight. Straight to E-Squared–experiments, revelations, insights from a woman who lives thirty miles from me and travels the world because she willed it to be so. Even then, someone was conspiring to send me a timely message–pre-reads that were a perfect prologue to what came next.

The Alchemist moved from the shelf to the on-deck spot in my reading nook.

Did I move it there? I don’t remember doing so…perhaps the children from Miss Peregrine’s had been playing in the library.

I sit in the library with my husband almost every morning. The birds spray sunflower seeds from the feeders as we watch out the front window and greet the day. He peruses the newspaper while I systematically read the day’s passages from 365 Tao, The Daily Stoic, and Daily Secret. Sometimes, I’ll read a passage out loud, sometimes I’ll snap a picture and text it to a friend who might like the message for that moment. This daily ritual has become more sacred than my yoga practice and more consistent than the walrus-type running that often follows.

For weeks, the parchment orange peeked out from under my iPad. When did I buy this? Why haven’t I read it yet?

Curiosity made me open to the first page–the shepherd boy and his dream made me stay.

I read The Alchemist on two airplane rides–out to Little Rock, AR and then back to Kansas City. I texted my friend midway through, Have you read this? I can’t put it down.

Have you met Fatima? She texted back.  

Her words felt like a promise that somehow I must be on the right path.

Paying attention to omens.

Watching for signs.

Listening to the wind.  Imagining that I could send messages to my loved ones via the Levanter.

Santiago, the crystal merchant, Fatima, the Alchemist and a sycamore tree. My dreams had returned.

The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.

What we put forth, we receive a thousand times over. It’s more than karma, it’s a simple truth and not-so-hidden secret to happiness. We are connected by blood, friendship, experience, tributaries, highways, and faith. The message of love I give to my family is one that reverberates to my neighbors and on down the line.

What you do. What you say. What you think. It all matters. WE all matter.

No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.

This ramble is not only a tribute to Paulo’s words, but a love letter to you and to anyone who has ever shoved aside the naysayers in pursuit of a dream. Even at fifty, I feel the stirrings as strongly as a young shepherd boy who dropped everything he knew, crossed the desert, and ultimately found his  heart’s desire.

Tell me, friend, do you know your heart’s desire? Are you chasing it right now?

https://youtu.be/LN-0csAxQE4

 

******

If you’ve read the book, you know why I am so moved. If you haven’t read it, please find me at my Instagram account.

For the entire month of August, I am going to be posting a photographic perspective of Santiago’s story in hopes that you’ll feel as inspired, moved, and full of joy as I was. I’m still searching for my Personal Legend and would love some friends for the journey.

All quotes from ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Find me on Instagram right here!

476 thoughts on “I Write Down Wishes So That They Come True”

  1. Wow. So inspiring! Paulo Coelho is MY favorite author and the Alchemist made me realize that I am not the only dreamer in our wonderful world. I actually have the old edition and I want to buy the new one because of The beauty of the cover. And I suggest you Brida another book of Paulo. You will be so amazed by his personality

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  3. I haven’t been reading in a while something that resonated with me. It pulled me out from my nest and made me look for The Alchemist – it is always great to read it again . Thank you! I think you are really great .

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. Hi Isabela,
      Thank you so much for your sweet words. There used to be a time when I’d say I was too busy to read…now, it’s a complete necessity – like brushing my teeth 😉
      Thank you for being here!
      Michelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Read the Alchemist in high-school, and even prior to that I watched a video of Will Smith talking about how much reading it had changed his life, and so I had high expectation when I opened the book (a book I had to write a book report about 4 years ago).

    I remember the one mistake I made was… trying to looked too deeply into the story’s pages because of how much positive feedback the book had—people practically ‘worshiped’ the book. I had to calm down, read “The Alchemist” for what it is, and not try to read between lines, excessively, like an kind of obnoxious child would.

    And when I read it wholeheartedly, I knew it was a great book, that I definitely would have to read again to fully understand its impact on me. And as I recollect, I encourage other readers to read the Alchemist with full attention and full mind.

    Don’t try to create/find hidden messages that aren’t there. Read the book, as it was written, as it was intended.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Your capture and advice gave me the goosebumps.
      Where you discuss digging too deeply and looking for hidden meaning is likely one of the reasons why I kept putting it deeper in the pile. Surely, this was not a book for me!
      Then, as you recommended, when I took his words at face value was when the magic started to happen.
      I absolutely love your comment – it’s the perfect summary for someone who may be trying to decide whether or not to read it. I really appreciate that you took the time to share.
      Thank you!
      Michelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. You’ve managed to merge with a book that speaks so well to our sense of knowing that we can do anything. Thank you for asking the questions we briefly ask ourselves or even demand from ourselves to no avail especially when we forget to love ourselves and enjoy the beauty around us every single day.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

    1. What a lovely comment ❤️ It took me a long time to write this –couldn’t get it to flow. When I finally put all the writerly insecurities aside, and wrote from the heart..it all worked.
      Thank you for being here and for recognizing what I was trying to capture 😍
      (Love your blog name!)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. After reading this it made me realize somethings. It made me realize the purpose of reading. It also made me realize that in order for your wish to come true, you have to be patient and committed to it; just like a dream. I like how your post has pictures that are related to the topic area it is in. Lastly, I liked the music video at the end! ❤
    😉

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  29. I’ve never read the Alchemist but, I most certainly will. I love your writing. I was just telling my mother how I loved to write as a child. I used to create my own magazines filled with different stories. I always kept to myself and as a child, I let my imagination soar with dreams of making my world like the Never Ending Story. Many blessings to you.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Never Ending Story – what a favorite! I love that you made magazines as a child – did you keep any?
      I’ve made a note to come visit site – I sense a kindred soul.
      Thank you for taking the time to read and comment 🙂🙂

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Thank you for you kind reply. It’s awesome that I get to bask in the glory of creative genius. I don’t have them anymore. I took the route of following what others suggested. Now that I am 36 I am happily going back to the place I found sacred as a child 🙂 it’s been an amazing journey so far. I also agree, I too sense a kindred soul.

        Liked by 3 people

  33. I haven’t read it…I will add to my Goodreads list now. I have similar passions -nature, writing, reading. Life throws curve balls and passions get put on the wayside. Recently I took a week long solo motorcycle trip -it had been something I’d wanted to do for quite awhile. I purposely didn’t tell anyone because I figured I’d get responses like “you’re crazy” “that’s dangerous” etc. I tried it out on one acquaintance and got raised eyebrows and “what does your husband think of that?” and didn’t tell anyone else but immediate family. After my trip everyone thought I was a hero. Well, neither was true -I wasn’t crazy and I wasn’t a hero but it is interesting how people discourage from doing your dream if it’s ‘out of the box’ but are so impressed if you’ve already done it.
    All that to say my trip has given me renewed desire to live out my dreams/passions.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. DENISE!!!!
      First of all – I have missed you and always love seeing your smiling face here.
      Secondly – You rock! I love that you took the trip. So many times I’ve been tempted to do something crazy and “out of the box” but common sense (or fear) ruled instead. You have always inspired me with your words…and here you are doing it again.
      Thank you! xoxoxo

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. you are so sweet Michelle!
        Yes, I have held back due to fear also…it’s in our nature I think.
        I love your blog and I’ve missed being so many of you in the blogging community. I’m hoping to become more involved again and looking forward to catching up on your adventures and words of wisdom!! xoxo

        Liked by 1 person

  34. Reading this brought me back to the whimsical days as a child. I truly had an overactive imagination. As little girls, my sister and I could be anything. Our backyard was the world. Under our trampoline was a gorillas nest. She was the baby gorilla, I was the mama gorilla. We were Indians, monster hunters, grown ups, princes and princesses.On top of the trampoline, we were skydivers, birds, eggs that would hatch the second we hit the rubber ground. Out of everything we were, everything we dreamt up, my personal favorite was when we were just ourselves. Making wishes out of bubbles. We had this silly concept that if the bubbles floated above the house, they would come true. The only thing I remember of the wishes was the pure innocence that came along with our bubble messages. I don’t know who we thought would grant these wishes but today I still wish, dream and desire. Thank you for the blast of nostalgia.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Your comment reads like poetry – what gorgeous thoughts and images of your childhood.
      My favorite line though was this “Out of everything we were, everything we dreamt up, my personal favorite was when we were just ourselves.”
      My goodness…if only we could always carry that concept out into the world. Let the world love us for who we are and not who we (or they) think we should be.
      Now I’m feeling the need to catch some bubbles.
      Thank you so much for taking the time to read and share your beautiful words.
      Michelle

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  36. I have not read this book, but everything you wrote could have been written by me. I feel that yearning too. That thing inside that doesn’t know what it is but wants to come out and be seen.
    I’m going to need to read this book now.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. “That thing inside that doesn’t know what it is but wants to come out and be seen.”
      YES! You captured it right there, Lynn.
      Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment – I’m so happy you’re here.
      Michelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  37. I know others have already affirmed your childhood feelings and the transition of carrying unrealized dreams into ‘adulthood’ and the ‘real world’, but I also want to thank you for your words. I, too, was the child curled in a ball in a pile of pillows being transported to another world and I devoured books at a accelerated pace. Now I am filled with countless dreams and wishes that will seemingly never come to fruition. While my husband supports me, I can tell my dreams do not resonate with him. In my late childhood my grandma gave me ‘the alchemist’ and I, too, have put it to the side. You have inspired me (as others have said) to reconsider my previous dismissal of the book. Thank you.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    2. Hi Shelby,
      I have read your comment twice and each time with a huge smile on my face.
      I loved that you are filled with dreams and that you have, like me, a supporting husband…even if he doesn’t totally understand.
      It sounds like your grandma is wise – I was fortunate to have one of those grandmas, too.
      Thank you for being here – I’ll be eager to read more about you and your journey.
      Michelle

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    3. Hi Shelby,
      I have read your comment twice and each time with a huge smile on my face.
      I loved that you are filled with dreams and that you have, like me, a supporting husband…even if he doesn’t totally understand.
      It sounds like your grandma is wise – I was fortunate to have one of those grandmas, too.
      Thank you for being here – I’ll be eager to read more about you and your journey.
      Michelle

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  38. Hmmm!! I like this blog post. To me I think anybody dream can possibly come true, if they only just believe. Because that being said, many aspiration or inspiration in a person desire or life can make a big difference when deciding on what you want to pursue. But as long you prioritize yourself and stay focus and be dedicated to what you enjoy doing you can make it.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. SQUEEE!! Another E-squared “scientist” – I will definitely be over to read your post. I have had some out of the world amazing experiences based on her books and lab tests. So much fun to find miracles around us.
      Thank you for being here- I’ll be hopping over very soon to read your article!
      Michelle

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. Okay…that was the coolest ever! An envelope full of “The Dude Abides” proof. Mine was a check for $119 — received it just a few moments before the experiment was supposed to expire. It was an insurance claim check for some dental work – the claim was so old, I’d forgotten even applying for it. We will have to keep comparing stories…all of my experiments worked – it’s amazing!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  41. Thank you! I have not read this book but am now totally inspired to, I too am fifty and still stirred by hopes wishes and dreams- and I write them down. I have recently taken up writing and am moved that somebody may read what I write and draw inspiration.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

  42. I first read The Alchemist on a whim, a recommendation from a friend during my senior year in high school. I couldn’t have found it at a more perfect time, as I was struggling to find and pursue my own dreams at the time. This post reminded me just how much I enjoyed it, and now I have to go digging in my bookshelf to re-read it!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

      1. Glad you liked it 😊 My blog is about combining the music I make with the stories I write, so the story and the song will have the same title, but not necessarily be about the same theme, however when you read the story you will find the song. 🙂

        Liked by 3 people

  48. Pingback: I Write Down Wishes So That They Come True — Lipstick and Laundry | Go Spiritual

  50. What you’ve written is utterly beautiful ! Books do take you to a completely different place. There is a quote I read the other day.It was something like this ‘A reader lives a thousand lives’ and I couldn’t agree more. I’ve read The Alchemist for the second time now. It’s like every single person is on the quest to find their personal legend and when they do the happiness cannot be described in words,it can be seen on their faces.It’s as if nothing else matters anymore. It was in awe after reading it. I’m always searching for good books.Especially soulful books and ones that are meaningful with life lessons. I recommend you read Tuesdays with Morrie,Five people you meet in heaven,40 rules of love and Wild.You wouldn’t regret reading these. I’ll quote something from Tuesdays with Morrie which is my absolute favorite.
    “The truth is . . . once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
    Lots of love !!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you! Thank you!
      Your words are so kind, and I appreciate your book recommendations. Tuesday’s with Morrie has been on my mental list for quite a while. I have an airplane to ride today…perhaps it’s time!
      Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. It means the world to me. ❤️

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

Leave a reply to MamaMickTerry Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.