Age 4 - Photo taken by Dad

Excerpt from the book: The Infinite Plan"

by Isabel Allende

"I was not deceived by my supposed triumphs; the truth is that all my life I had been pursued by a vague sensation of failure. It took me an eternity, nevertheless, to learn that the more I accumulated, the more vulnerable I was, because I live in a world where the opposite message is drummed into us. Tremendous lucidity is required… not to fall into that trap. I did not have it, and I had to sink to the very bottom to obtain it. At the moment my world caved in on me, when I had nothing left, I discovered I didn’t feel depressed, I felt free. I realized that the most important thing was not, as I had imagined, to survive or be successful; the most important thing was the search for my soul, which I had left behind in the quicksand of my childhood. When I found it, I learned that the power I had wasted such desperate energy to gain had always been inside me. I was reconciled with myself, I accepted myself with a touch of kindness, and then, and only then, was rewarded with my first glimpse of peace. I think that was the precise instant I became aware of who I truly am, and at last felt in control of my destiny.”