By the river Piedra, I sat down and wept

Another gem of a book by Paulo Coelho. I have read his "Alchemist" and "Veronica decides to die" and was very impressed with the way he puts down his thoughts.

This one "By the river...." is a story about Pilar, a young girl who meets his childhood friend and embark on her life changing journey together. There are not many characters in this story which makes the flow simple to understand. Typical of Coelho's works, this book also has interesting messages interspersed at appropriate places along with the storyline.

With due credits to the author, I'm pointing out a few thoughts that made a big impression on me.

"Everyday God gives us the sun - and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Everyday we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist - that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment."

"Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks.Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps he won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back, he will hear his heart saying 'What have you done with the miracles that God planted on your days? What have you done with the talents that God bestowed on you?......"

"The 'Other' is the one who taught me what I should be like, but not what I am. The Other believes that it is our obligation to spend our entire life thinking about how to get our hands on as much money as possible so that we will not die of hunger when we are old..... I am just like everyone else who is enchanted by the mystery of life, who is open to miracles, who experiences joy and enthusiasm for what I do. It's just that the Other, afraid of disappointment, kept me from taking action"

"The adventurous are the ones who had climbed the mountains first, the ones who had found the routes to the top. And their eyes were the first to take in that view. Fortunates are those who take the first steps"

This is the last sentence of the book - "Dreams mean work". Can there be a better ending to a story that talks about the importance of following your dreams and discovering magic moments in life?