By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept: A Recollection

Paolo Coelho is no doubt one of the greatest and talked authors of all time. From the wisdom he posted to his pilot book The Alchemist to the alluring words he used in his 'Eleven Minutes' comes yet another enticing book that will captivate your hearts. I fell in love flipping just a few of its pages until I cannot take it down without finishing it off - By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. 

This tells us a story of a girl and a boy who were once in love with the idea of childhood and eventually were separated by time and career for 11 years. The boy turned out to be working in the monastery while the girl continues her education. Yet despite the distance, the boy never failed to send the girl pictures of places he had been to until one day. They have to meet. 

'And there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggle for your dreams than to be defeated without ever even knowing what you're fighting for.'

The dogma that our society is faced with, poses yet another challenge to most women these days and with this I am talking about women who fall for men who vow for sanctity in their relationship with God. This may not even only apply to priests but also to men who have this 'special relationship with God'. The essence of humanity that cripples every woman's senses in their frustration on love because of the idea that they will never be able to hold the guy's hand in public because they know they will get that judgmental look from the eyes of many. 

As the story revolves on the lives, daily choices on these two characters in their everyday life, it becomes a clear cut point to me that to be in a relationship with someone, one must be able to know first the meaning of her own existence. One cannot therefore give what is not owned by her from the very start. This is an elementary rule that one must never forget yet almost everyone is guilty of this. 

Further on, the book deceptively tries to captivate the heart of the readers but the truth of the matter is that it sure targets to expound the true meaning of the existence of God in our lives and how He/She came to us in variety of ways. Perhaps one can outlive the fact that there is no God after all or if there is, he is not a he but a she or the other way around. Overtime, the existence of God has never failed to become one of the most common topics for debates or arguments. But why try to argue when you know how grounded you are with what you truly believe in? Unless you are in constant battle with yourself and your beliefs, that's when the internal conflict sets in. 

People oftentimes mistook love with something else and the moment someone envies your life, it's something that you should not be really proud of. It can mean a calling for you to change that wrong perception of the person or a sign for you to check on your own actions. I am not encouraging nor promoting to anyone that they must change their lifestyle or beliefs or religion so that you will be able to please everybody. Nobody can do that. But at least take time with the people whom you owe time to. Life is short to be lived in misery and envy. You can always take pride in what you believe in and never fail to tell someone what you truly feel (in the most discreet way as possible). 

Did the characters in this book rekindle that which they never even have given chance to start with before? Find out yourself! Grab a copy of the book and welcome the wisdom you dig from within.