Carpe Diem #1335 pursue your dreams

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Welcome at a new episode of our Kai. It's another wonderful quote from "The Alchemist" and I think this quote is really an inspirational one.

"The Alchemist" is one of Coelho's most read novel all around the globe. Maybe every one on earth has read it or at least has heard about it.

Painting of an Alchemist

In "The Alchemist" the head character, a young sheperd boy, meets an alchemist as he is on his way to the pyramids of Gizeh. He learns a lot of him and he is glad that he knows the deeper truth of alchemy.

The young sheperd boy has a dream of a great treasure and that's why he is on his way to Egypt, because in his dream he sees the pyramids of Egypt. "The Alchemist" is a philosophical novel full of spirituality and the ideas, thoughts, of Coelho hemself.

Here is the quote to work with:

"People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them." (Source: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

I once had a dream about publishing a novel. That dream I realized, another nvel followed and a haiku-book. After those dreams there were new dreams to pursue. Becoming an oncology nurse, that dream became true also. How many dreams a man can have? After several fulfilled dreams there was a new dream ... to create a daily haiku meme to promote my love for haiku and the beauty of that little poem from the Far East. Five years ago I made that dream come true by starting our Kai. I never dreamed that it would be a big success, but as we all know our Kai became a success. I had the privilege to get to know several renown haiku poets like Garry Gay and Jane Reichhold. But I also had the privilege to get to know you all ... my dear Haijin. I am grateful for the love you sprinkle on me, but I am even more grateful that you started to share your Japanese poetry with me. Thank you all for keeping a dream alive.

Dreams

dreamtime
inner feelings and emotions
come alive

© Chèvrefeuille

Keep on dreaming ... without dreams we are lost ...

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until January 2nd at noon (CET)

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!