by: Gary Szenderski
The Search for Solace
A Sixty-Word Short Story: *
Carl struggled with the waves of negativity that seemed to pour into his psyche on a daily basis. He tried to ignore the news, the social media feeds, and the sometimes-serious complaining about the state of the world overheard in checkout lines. He looked to escape the noise, find a respite, and calm his weary heart. He found refuge within.
And more…
Sometimes it seems that the world is spiritually bankrupt, often barren of joy and full of doubt. Not a great place to be, yet here we are. But as Alexander Pope famously said in 1734: “Hope springs eternal.” And with it a chance to escape today’s ennui and find a moment of inspiration and peace of mind. Today, Hope and its big sister Faith are alive and well as we find ourselves in the midst of Passover and Easter. These very holy days are not only filled with ritual, prayer and history but they celebrate a new life where God wins and we’re all able to tap into the power of peace, and fellowship – a time and space where true solace can be found.
All of us need a way to escape the burdens of life and distress and each of us follows our own path to find what Carl from our story desperately needed. He eventually went inside himself to calm his own inner turbulence. Like Carl, when we find ourselves stuck with bad news all around us it’s hard to just turn it off. In fact, we can’t. We’re encased in an onslaught of negative news and distress where social media is playing with our minds, feeding us untruths, products that don’t work, and digital traps that steal our identity, money and sense of self. Whew! Sorry. I didn’t intend to be so negative but wow it’s hard to ignore.
That being said, fortunately, we have a gift from our Creator which gives us the ability to change the narrative for ourselves. It’s called free will and it’s the most powerful tool known to man. It enables us to choose not only what we experience but how we absorb it into our psyche. We get to decide how “things” good or bad will affect us. It’s not so much ignoring things as it is filtering and categorizing them. Our free will is designed to help us take charge of how we see our world and put a positive spin on whatever needs to be spun. This whole paragraph is my spin on how to frame the moments of our life in such a way that fits with who we are, not who we’re told to be. When we access our power to be the master of our thoughts, we gain the upper hand. We emerge from the darkness, and we create our own sanctuary. A place where solace can be found and we’re in charge of what happens next.
The Final Thought: Prayer, meditation, mantras and ritual open a channel to the unknown where we can connect to our source and ask for what our heart seeks. It’s the fertile ground where all things are possible and we’re in the driver’s seat.
* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com
Szenzone – Stories of life and the power to change yours – is sent via email by request and is published weekly or thereabouts. For back issues or to receive this publication directly please email [email protected] © Gary Szenderski 2025 All Rights Reserved. Gary is an author, branding specialist and teaches at the University of California in Irvine. He specializes in helping people and organizations navigate change – if you or your company needs assistance contact Gary directly. Gary resides in Southern California and welcomes your comments.
