All the Ineffable Things by Srishti Das

“She liked the word ineffable because it meant a feeling so big or vast that it could not be expressed in words.

And yet, because it could not be expressed in words, people had invented a word to express it, and that made her feel hopeful, somehow.” –Lauren Oliver

 

Sighing, I closed the book. I had found it. The one perfect quote that seemed to tie everything together. However, instead of hopefulness, it filled me with a sense of finality and regret. I could now describe every perfect moment, every perfect song, every perfect sunset using one word. It was, in every sense of the word, daunting.

Why can every moment that changed you be described in one word? Why can all the beautifully colourful, life-changing, undocumented moments be described using nine letters? How can we so simply put all those ethereal moments, those fiery road trips, those moments of limerence, those midnight epiphanies, those elegant auroras — everything into the hands of one beauteous word?

Because that is human nature. We look everywhere for answers. We search night and day for explanations. We are not content until we find them. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe we need to find ourselves while looking for those answers. But sometimes we may even need to lose ourselves on the way, just to see the world from a new perspective.

R. M. Drake once said, “She always felt lost and it was beautiful not knowing how she would find herself. For everywhere she went always led to something greater, but beneath it all, she knew, it was all a matter of time till all of her made sense.” 

I agree so with all my heart.

 

 

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