From looking out to feeling free.

[Europann linen men’s tunic from St Barth + Kors boots + Shopbop bop basics hat + Citrine by the Stones tassel bracelet + vintage turquoise squash blossom bracelet.]

It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn’t sound like much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it’s all you’ve got, that freedom is a universe of possibility.

And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.

-Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts

My favorite part of that opening passage? “It doesn’t sound like much, I know.” There’s more power in an honest assessment of the size and scope of our own lives and the things we feel than most other statements we come up with.

It doesn’t sound like much. Because so many stories are told to sweep you away, inspire you, or even terrify you—sometimes all I want is a bite-sized bit of humanity. Or a chili cheese dog. Or a hug.

It’s lovely here today. Almost everything about this day is lovely—and quite searingly so.

-Carey

[lyrics from this incredible, magical song.]