She’d lost tons of time looking for a travel companion, a whole bunch of frightened little boys who were only prepared to explore what they already knew— for them, even Latin America must have posed a threat. They liked to pretend they were free as long as they were within safe range of their mothers’ skirts.
Paulo Coelho
The only things she cared about were solitude and beauty, direct communication with God, and above all a safe distance from the world that she already knew all too well and that no longer held any interest for her.
Paulo Coelho
I love Coelho’s writing for the most part. It captures my sentiments of trying to move beyond myself. The spirit of adventure and travel. Maybe it’s the privilege I have of living in a relatively safe place/country, but I always find that traveling forces you to be present in a new way, particularly when you are in a foreign place and need to rely on the help of other people. It’s humbling. And the world needs more of that. What could I learn by staying in a place I’ve known all my life ? Knowing what to expect from the land and from other people? How dull.
And when I communicate with the sea I often receive so much more enrichment than communication with most people. I hear God there. And, also importantly, myself. The noise from other peoples mindless chatter quiets and I have the opportunity to really get to know myself and the few others I allow to share that experience with me. I don’t mean it to sound arrogant, but not much holds my interest for long. But in the sea/ocean there are always new wonders and depths to discover.
Eternal Ocean of Words 