PEBBLE
Strength is the knowledge that you are living inside a long, deep and beautiful story.
~unknown Tarot Card reader, shared by Emily in Dublin, Ireland (who found this line in a New York Times article)
BOULDER
I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.
~Charlotte Brontë, shared by Jeanne in Madison, WI (who liked this quote from Jane Eyre)
PONDER
Oh Ripplers, I’ve missed you so! After quietly stockpiling a handful of Ripples last fall so I could enjoy some real downtime over the holidays, I eventually found myself missing the familiar rhythm of this work—pouring over submissions, pairing quotes, and then Pondering alongside you. So… I’m back.
These two quotes arrived over the break, and they felt like a fitting pairing for the start of a new year. Newsflash: things continue to be weird and hard for a lot of people, and it will likely stay that way for a while. Two mindsets have been fueling my hope lately, and I wanted to briefly share both:
Playing the Long Game.
Back in Ripples #1353, I mentioned Joanna Macy’s hopeful, helpful book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience & Creative Power. One idea that really stuck with me was the importance of zooming out in time. When we’re focused only on what’s right in front of us, every yucky turn of events can feel like the end of the world. Regularly re-orienting ourselves to the bigger picture helps us remember how cyclical life can be—winter’s barren look is more manageable when we trust that spring reliably returns.
Growth Requires Discomfort.
I often joke that I’ll add strength training back into my workouts when someone figures out how to make lighter weights. Of course, building healthy muscles requires lifting heavier weights than we’re used to—just as personal and professional growth requires us to take on increasingly heavier challenges. I wouldn’t choose for life to be this difficult for this many people right now. Since these are the times we’re living in, I’m choosing to see this as an important opportunity for us to keep going and keep growing as we make our way through all of it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t have solutions or answers to all the yuck. What I do have is the determination to keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing every Monday for 1,390 weeks—dropping a pebble and a boulder into the stream of life and inviting you to ponder alongside me. We’re in this together, my friends. And together: we got this.
Peace,
Paul