In Search of a Stone… and a Little More

During my last whirlwind trip to Paris in mid-June, I took the time to wander a few streets in search of a stone (an energy stone — does that speak to you?).

No fixed idea, just a beautiful stone, carefully chosen, vibrant, to place in my office. Perhaps a clear quartz for openness, a lapis lazuli for communication, or even a raw amethyst, which I am especially fond of…

I step into a small, discreet shop in the 9th arrondissement. A place rather full — and not only of minerals. You climb two rather narrow steps, and the walls appear covered in books from floor to ceiling, like a living library, a little secret. And in the middle, a man. The owner. He looks at me, greets me simply.

We begin to talk, first of stones. Then, very quickly, the rest takes over: the vibration of objects, intuition, energy, meaning — I tell him what I do…

Within minutes, we had moved from crystal healing to Jung, from mindfulness to the soul (in short — those who know me already know my passion for these subjects :)). We discover we have read the same authors, dozens of them. I look at his library, he looks at mine — the inner one. And our words resonate.

Then, in the turn of a silence, he says something to me. A single sentence. Simple. Clear. Sharp as a well-cut crystal.

“My definition of happiness is the absence of unhappiness.”

I freeze. I smile. Not because it is pretty. Because it is true.

Those words struck me. As if I were watching my life and its trials in fast-forward.

If I am honest, lately, despite all I have been through, despite the rebuildings, the courageous choices, the tears turned to light… I was slowly slipping back into “ever more.” Ever better. Ever further. Bigger. Always more.

But those words brought me back to the present moment.
Not into the seeking.
Into peace.
Into the acceptance of what is, here and now.

I left the shop with stones — and that sentence, which is priceless.

And I wanted to share it with you.
Because I know that, sometimes, we too forget.

With sincere affection