not just 11 minutes

i started reading paulo coelho's "eleven minutes" last night; and, as with any other really interesting book, i could not put it down. what grips you isn't the sensuality of it.. or the bold way it talks about sex and prostitution. what gets to you is the sense of fragility.. vulnerability of the main character. and you get lots of other stuff as well. you read about strength, determination, confusion, pride, and yes, even dignity.. in a character who's surprisingly endearing.

among coelho's books, i find this one to be the most believable.. and the one that strikes closest to home. reading it made me believe, if only for a moment, that there is so much more than just 11 minutes..

* * *

"When we meet someone and fall in love, we have a sense that the whole universe is on our side. And yet if something goes wrong, there is nothing left! How is it possible for the beauty that was there only minutes before to vanish so quickly? Life moves very fast. It rushes from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds."

"Considering the way the world is, one happy day is almost a miracle."

"Love is not to be found in someone else, but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that, we need the other person. The universe only makes sense when we have someone to share our feelings with."

"I've learned that waiting is the most difficult bit, and I want to get used to the feeling, knowing that you're with me, even when you're not by my side."

"The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility. Anyway, if my love is real (and not just a way of distracting myself, deceiving myself, and passing the time that never seems to pass in this city), freedom will conquer jealousy and any pain it causes me, since pain is also part of the natural process. Anyone who practices sport know of this: if you want to achieve your objectives, you have to be prepared for a daily dose of pain or discomfort. At first, it's unpleasant and de motivating, but in time you'll come to realize that it's part of the process of feeling good, and the moment arrives when, if you don't feel pain, you have a sense that the exercises aren't having the desired effect."

"That's why I'm telling you: don't get used to it [pain], because it's very easy to become habituated; it's a very powerful drug. It's in our daily lives, in our hidden suffering, in the sacrifices we make, blaming love for the destruction of our dreams. Pain is frightening when it shows its real face, but it's seductive when it comes disguised as sacrifice or self-denial. Or cowardice. However much we may reject it, we human being always find a way of being with pain, of flirting with it and making it part of our lives."