Tuesday thoughts and put yourself in the way of beauty

Isabelle
3 days ago
3 min read

Hi friends,

Last night I watched the movie Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed's true story. If you haven't seen it, it's about far more than a woman hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. It's about grief. Regret. Bad decisions. Healing. And finding yourself one difficult step at a time.

When the movie ended, I realized I wasn't quite finished with Cheryl's story. I found myself searching for an interview with her because I needed to know more. I wanted to see the woman behind the journey. Listening to her speak, I was struck by her honesty and quiet wisdom. She wasn't pretending that life had magically become easy. Instead, she talked about learning to live with what had happened while continuing to move forward. That made me appreciate her story even more.

After Cheryl's beloved mother died unexpectedly, her life unraveled. She lost her direction, her marriage, and for a while, even herself. Believing she had nothing left to lose, she set out alone on a journey that seemed almost impossible. The miles didn't erase her pain, but they slowly changed her relationship with it.

One line from the movie stayed with me long after the credits rolled.

"There's always a sunrise and always a sunset and it's up to you to choose to be there for it," said my mother. "Put yourself in the way of beauty."

What simple advice. And yet, what profound advice.

Life can be incredibly hard. There are seasons when grief feels heavier than hope. There are days when disappointment piles onto exhaustion. Midlife often brings changes we never asked for—divorce, empty nests, aging parents, health concerns, financial worries, or simply wondering, what now?

As I watched Reese Witherspoon struggle to hoist that enormous backpack onto her shoulders, I actually found myself wincing. It looked unbearably heavy. Every step she took seemed like an act of determination. I couldn't help but think how much that backpack symbolized the invisible weight so many of us carry. Our burdens may not be strapped to our backs, but we feel them just the same. The grief. The regrets. The disappointments. The responsibilities. The worries that no one else can see.

None of that disappears because we decide to think positively. But we still get to choose something. We can choose to place ourselves where beauty has a chance to find us.

Sometimes beauty is a breathtaking sunset over the ocean. Sometimes it's your morning coffee on the porch before the world wakes up. It's a grandchild's laugh. Fresh flowers at the grocery store. Music that stirs your soul. A walk through the woods. A phone call with a dear friend. A page in a good book that speaks directly to your heart.

Beauty doesn't erase pain.

It reminds us that pain isn't the only thing that exists.

One of the messages Cheryl shares throughout her writing is that healing doesn't come from waiting until life is easy. It comes from continuing to live while carrying what is hard. She reminds us that our scars don't disqualify us from living a beautiful life—they become part of the story that shapes us.

I love that perspective because it feels honest.

No pretending.

No toxic positivity.

Just the quiet courage to keep showing up.

Another idea Cheryl often returns to is that we don't have to spend our lives grieving every road we didn't take. There will always be another possible life we could have lived, but the invitation is to embrace the one we have instead.

That, too, is putting yourself in the way of beauty.

It's choosing gratitude over comparison.

Presence over perfection.

Wonder over worry.

Maybe today your life feels overwhelming. Maybe you're carrying something no one else can see.

If that's you, don't pressure yourself to solve everything.

Instead, ask one small question:

Where can I put myself in the way of beauty today?

Maybe it's watching the sunrise before checking your phone.

Maybe it's stopping to admire the flowers instead of rushing past them.

Maybe it's sitting quietly at the beach and remembering that even after the darkest night, the sun rises again.

Beauty won't fix everything.