PEBBLE
True solace is finding none, which is to say, it is everywhere.
-Gretel Ehrlich, shared by Kelsey in Michigan
BOULDER
I don’t know if you ever really, fully find yourself in life. I think it’s a series of trial & error, making baby steps to your truest self as you chug along.
-Sophia Fracassi, shared by Rico in Two Rivers, WI (who saw this in an Instagram post promoting Sophia’s new song “I Lied“)
PONDER
[I was instantly curious about the “solace” quote Kelsey shared with me, so I replied quickly: “Ooh, tell me more about where you found this and why it resonated!” I loved her follow up so much I’m sharing her words as this week’s ponder.]
KELSEY: I heard this quote in a show called Yellowstone. When I did some searching, I found it was from a book called The Solace of Open Spaces. The author, Gretel Ehrlich, journeyed to Wyoming to create a documentary when her partner passed away. She found she could not leave as she grieved her partner, and wrote many essays about the peculiar people she came across, the land, and about life and what it gives us.
I interpret this quote as sometimes accepting where we are is easier than searching for the answers. Sometimes we get so caught up in our thoughts, our worries and uncertainties and try so hard to find peace. But really, peace surrounds when we stop searching, get quiet and appreciate where we are, who we have, and our uniqueness in what we give to the world.
In my life, this spoke to me specifically as I feel very uncertain in my 20s. My social media feeds have lately been bombarded with photos of friends who are getting married, establishing their careers, buying their first houses, etc.
This makes me feel uneasy, and I find myself questioning if where I am now is where I am supposed to be. Am I supposed to be following this track?
Does it mean I am unsuccessful if I’m not interested in that? What will my friends think?
But when I heard that quote it made me realize that despite attempting to find peace by trying to control things around me, I have everything I need to be happy and successful despite seeing those things: a family who loves me, a supportive and safe community, a place to sleep, a college education and a cuddly rabbit. To me, it’s about being grateful in all that surrounds us, and we can forget that so easily.
[I’ll wrap up by giving three cheers to Kelsey for letting me share this with you, and three cheers to you for any time you’re able to take some baby steps in the ongoing and probably never-ending process of finding yourself!]
Peace,
Paul
P.S. I couldn’t keep cranking out Ripples each week if I didn’t have a steady stream of good quotes arriving in my inbox every week. If you come across a really good quote that might make a good pebble or boulder, do us all a solid favor and use the “Submit a Quote” button just below. And if you’d like, share a little about how you came across it, or why you especially like the quote. Many of the quotes that don’t find their way into these weekly splashes find a home in our Daily Splashes and the Quote Pond.
