Meg Stewart blends emotional intelligence, resilience, and community leadership to guide others in navigating life’s complexities. Through her work in public health, outdoor education, and advocacy, she empowers individuals and her children to thrive with clarity, purpose, and compassion.
In a world fixated on outcomes and resolutions, what if we simply let moments exist as they are? Through fleeting encounters and quiet reflections, Meg Stewart weaves a poignant tale of connection, resilience, and the beauty found in impermanence. Join her on the rocky shorelines of Sonoma, where driftwood, a weathered van, and an unexpected walk remind us that some of life’s most profound conversations are those we leave untouched, trusting them to land where they’re meant to be.
“Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone,” — Alan Watts
The driftwood’s quiet wisdom
Some moments drift into your path, fleeting and profound. Free from expectation, they carry their own magic, reminding us of the quiet power of presence.
I remember one such moment on the Sonoma coastline during a time when my heart sought stillness. The ocean stretched before me, vast and infinite, offering its steady rhythm as a reminder of life’s constant motion. As I walked along the shore, I noticed a piece of driftwood wedged into the rocks, smoothed and worn by its journey.
I stood for a while, wondering where it had come from and how many tides had carried it. Its surface, polished smoothly by water and time, seemed to hold the echoes of countless journeys, shaped by forces both gentle and fierce. The driftwood reminded me that, like life, not everything needs to be held onto to be meaningful. Some things are most beautiful when left exactly where they land.
A van with secrets
Lost in this reflection, I noticed a van parked along the road. Its exterior was weathered, with peeling paint that hinted at old blues and greens, faded by the sun. A bumper sticker quoting Elsa Gidlow read, “For no one owns or can own fire.” It felt less like a statement and more like an invitation to reflect on the untamed beauty of life and connection.
When the door opened, it revealed an unexpected world. The interior glowed with bursts of color: deep purples, burnt oranges, and calming teals, arranged with a kind of meditative care. The colors seemed to whisper of resilience, a quiet defiance of the van’s worn shell. Like driftwood softened by unseen tides, she carried the quiet resilience of a journey, her surface weathered but her core vibrant with untold life.
The walk that asked nothing
A woman answered, her expression one of quiet curiosity, as though she had been waiting for an arrival she could not quite name. Her gaze held a steadiness tinged with the hesitation of a fading dream. Her eyes, dark and reflective like the sea before a storm, seemed to echo the weight of untold stories she doubted anyone would understand.
There was a stillness about her, not of indifference but of deliberate grace, as though she moved in rhythm with something larger, like the tide responding to an invisible pull. In her presence, I felt as though we were both part of something vast and unspoken, where connections form and dissolve as naturally as the waves retreat from the shore.
Without hesitation, I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. It was a bold question, so out of character for me, yet it felt natural. She paused, then said yes, mentioning she needed to walk her dog.
Her dog was small, gentle, and peaceful, a reflection of her in ways she perhaps could not see. As we began walking, there was an unspoken ease between us. It was the rare connection that emerges only when two strangers are fully present and willing to listen without expectation.
We walked along the rocky shoreline, speaking of loss, healing, and the courage it takes to begin again. Some conversations, like driftwood, are best left where they land, their beauty intact without the need for ownership or continuation. She shared that this had been one of the hardest days of her life, and while I did not know the full weight of what she carried, I could feel it in the quiet grace with which she moved.
When it came time to part, she thanked me softly, calling me a walking angel. The words were unexpected, not something I could accept as truth, but I understood they came from a place of gratitude. I watched her step back into the van, its colors glowing briefly in the fading light, and disappear down the road. Standing there, I felt certain she had found something she needed, not because of me but because of the space between us that allowed her to uncover it. It was something undeniably human, fragile, and true.
What if we let it be?
In a world that constantly demands follow-ups and sustained connections, there is power in letting a conversation simply exist. A connection can be complete in the moment it was created, unburdened by expectation.
That walk reminded me of the power of authenticity without obligation. To meet someone as they are, in the moment they are in, and offer nothing more than your presence is one of the greatest gifts you can give. It is also one of the greatest gifts you can receive.
The driftwood always knows
Life, like the ocean, is unpredictable. The tide delivers and takes away, often faster than you imagine. What endures is your ability to navigate the rocky shoreline with grace, to see beauty in what arrives, and to let it go.
I often think of that woman and wonder where she is now. I hope she has found peace, as I did that day walking beside her. I think of her as driftwood, molded by unseen tides and reshaped endlessly by the world’s quiet, indifferent hands.
How many moments do we diminish by asking for more rather than trusting what they’ve already given us? Perhaps fleeting connections are reminders that, in the end, we are all simply walking each other home.
Read more from Meg Stewart
Meg Stewart, Speaker, Advocate, Author, Wilderness Instructor
Meg Stewart is a New England-based community leader, writer, speaker, and Wilderness Medicine Instructor dedicated to fostering resilience and authentic connection. Rooted in the serene coastal and mountain communities of New England, she brings a thoughtful and intentional approach to cultivating kindness and inclusivity while honoring the quiet strength found in impermanence. As a guide in nature and resilience, a mother, and an adjunct professor at an Ivy League institution, Meg blends her expertise in outdoor education, emotional intelligence, and community-building to inspire others. She believes that community thrives when we create space for meaningful connection, allowing moments to rest gently where they belong. Her work reflects a commitment to guiding others toward strength, understanding, and the enduring beauty of life’s most fleeting moments.
