Carpe Diem #1317 wherever your heart is

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at the first episode of a new month full of wonderful prompts for your inspiration. This month I will try to inspire you through the beauty of the stories written by one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho. This month will be maybe a little bit different than the other months, but I think this month will be a wonderful month full of spirituality and philosophy based on the novels by Paulo Coelho.

Here at CDHK I have used several of his novels, for example "Aleph" and "The Zahir". Coelho has written a lot of novels and a very big part of his oeuvre I have read and I can tell you ... his novels are really beautiful to read and in every novel Coelho gives us an insight in his thoughts and ideas.

Paulo Coelho

This month all prompts are quotes taken from his novels, so you can say this whole month is "Use That Quote", that special feature I once started on one of our other weblogs.

Our prompt-list isn't ready for this month, but I will publish it this weekend.

The first novel I read of Paulo Coelho, was his most famous (and first, his debute) novel "The Alchemist". Let me tell you a little bit more about this novel, or ... it's more like a brief overview of the "theme" of this novel.

[...] Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist," a fable about following your dreams, has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide in more than 50 different languages, making it an international bestseller.
It follows the story of a shepherd boy named Santiago who travels to Egypt after having a recurring dream about a treasure that awaited him there.
If you have never read this book before, I highly recommend it. If you have, then you'll know just how insightful and inspirational the story of a simple shepherd boy who decided to follow his dream can be. [...]

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (cover)

For this first episode I have the following quote from "The Alchemist" for your inspiration:

[...] "Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure." [...] (Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist)

Wherein do you find happiness to where your heart calls you? Do you have dreams? You all will know the proverb "My home is where my heart is". I think that's the main theme in "The Alchemist". Santiago is following his dreams and finds what he needs ... his treasure. What is your treasure?

It may be a profession, a hobby, a place, a person, a pet or a lifestyle, but it's only when we stop and acknowledge what it is our hearts want that we will find our greatest treasures. These are the treasures that will bring joy and happiness into our lives; this is where the heart is.

dreams
secrets open
peace found

© Chèvrefeuille (experimental haiku)

I hope you did like this "maiden" episode of December 2017 and ... I hope I have inspired you to create Japanese poetry like haiku or sedoka.

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7:00 PM (CET) and will remain open until December 7th at noon (CET). I will publish our weekend-meditation later on. For now ... have fun!