My New Fav Book

I know, it's been forever since I've posted on our blog, but I have a 5 word response to that, "End of the school year." Holy cow, it's been insane (I think I've been turned into a basketcase! Hence the pressure poster. :))! Not only do I have all of the normal end of the year things to do, but I've also had to start packing and moving my classroom. Sam and I have spent a few Saturdays packing things up. Then last night we were in my classroom for 5 1/2 hours last night packing things up and we still have one more trip to do. My poor extra bedroom!! Hopefully I'll be able to get into my new classroom soon so that I can have my extra bedroom back (it's literally piled up to the ceiling!).

Anyway, the purpose to this post is to talk about a book that I've been reading, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. Emily recommended it to me, and it's REALLY good. It's full of all these pieces of wisdom, regardless of what religion you are. There was a parable in there that just totally stuck out to me and I wanted to share it. It's kind of a long passage, but I think it's WELL worth it.

"There was a boy who was traveling to find the wisest man in the land so that he could find the secret to the happiness of life. He found the wise man in a castle at the top of a hill, but the wise man was extremely busy. He told the boy to come back in 2 hours, and return in 2 hours.

"'Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,' said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held 2 drops of oil. 'As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.'

"The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After 2 hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"'Well,' asked the wise man, 'did you see the Perisian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?'

"The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.

"'Then go back and observe the marvels of my world,' said the wise man. 'You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house.'

"Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"'But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?' asked the wise man.

"Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"'Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,' said the wisest of wise men. 'The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world , and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon.'"

That parable just really struck me. I spend so much of my time focused on things that I have to get done or the bad things in my life, that I rarely find time to observe the good and beautiful things around me. Once I can learn to do both, I think I'll be much happier. Maybe this post was only for me, but I sure had an "Ah Ha!" moment when I read it in the book that I wanted to share it with others! :)