Shards

Us HSPs like detail. And, for me, a shard is a particular type of detail.

It’s the name that, for years, I’ve given to the tiniest piece of information that completes my understanding of something. It always brings a smile, and a sense of joy or relief (sometimes both).

A shard can be a word, a phrase, the most delicate of nuances. But it’s the final piece in the picture. It completes the whole and connects everything.

For some reason, I visualise it as being the last piece in a stained glass window. So thin or tiny you could almost miss it. But it’s beautiful – making everything fit and complete.

It’s a strange process – I almost don’t know what’s missing until the moment the shard appears and lands. Until then, I just know the unsettled/still searching feeling that goes with not quite having all the information I need.

And I don’t necessarily like what the final picture is or shows me. What matters is the understanding.

People I talk with have learned to recognise that moment too. They’ll say, “Is that one of your shards?“. My grin will tell them they’re right.

Susan Cain talks about shards in her new book, ‘Bittersweet’. For her, they are the result of a ‘divine vessel‘ having shattered, leaving shards of light – beautiful things or moments to pick up as you go through life.

And that’s the thing, everyone’s shards are different. Maybe you have some which have their own shape and meaning. Let’s celebrate them in whatever form they come.