I am a very optimistic person. It isn’t because my life up until now has been all rainbows and sunshine but rather because I’m getting closer and closer to that point every day with the help of my positive outlook on life.

Something I strongly advocate for is helping others get to that point, too. However, at times I find myself hoarding the positive energy I am so fortunate to possess when I know I could be spreading it, as everybody should. It’s extremely important to find happiness within yourself — that’s a journey we’re all on — but helping others find happiness is what gives life meaning.

A couple weeks ago, I got my first set of healing crystals. Nine of them, to be exact, but there was one in particular from which I could feel the energy all the way across the room — a pyrite, meant to shield one from negativity and replace it with positivity and optimism. I fell in love with the shiny, gold crystal immediately. So I bought it, along with the other eight, cared for it the way I was supposed to for the few days I had left at home, then packed it away to come with me back to school.

The crystal was wrapped up in layers of my clothes as a precaution. I didn’t want it clanking around and breaking in the backseat of the car. It was quite chunky and dense, however, so I assumed it would survive either way. Yet when I arrived at school and began unpacking, I found that my beloved crystal had busted directly in half sometime during the car ride. As you could imagine, I was heartbroken.

After a little research on some very reputable witch-y sites, I found that a crystal breaks when it is not meant for you or after it has served its purpose, and it’s time to move on to one more suited for your needs.

After learning this, a fair amount of dread set in — it’s a bad sign, I thought. Maybe all the happiness I’ve worked so hard for is bound to soon come crashing down. A silly idea, now that I realize what it really means. During my desperate search for answers, I also discovered that when a crystal breaks, you should gift the pieces to others who could use its healing powers more than you.

If I hadn’t taken the time to figure out what the broken crystal really meant, I wouldn’t have learned the very important lesson that I did — if you are one of the lucky people who possess a plethora of positive energy, despite everything life does to knock us down, you should do what you can to light the way for others who don’t have as much of it. The event of the broken pyrite told me that instead of taking in its energy for myself, passing it on would be even more productive.

Just as the crystal transferred its energy to me, I realized that I can transfer mine to others. This can take many forms — words of encouragement, meaningful gifts, a loving touch, a kind act or even simply an optimistic presence can have a huge impact. In no way does this imply you should ever sacrifice your happiness for another person, and you should never be somebody’s only source of happiness. But it’s so easy to pass on positive energy without draining your own, and the process can only be constructive for all of us.

Even if you don’t believe in the power of healing crystals and think it’s just a coincidence that my lovely pyrite split, the lesson remains true. The meaning of life is not only to find the beauty in it for yourself but also to share that beauty with others when they need to see it. Your energy is more powerful than you think, so if you have some positivity to spread, you can make a real difference for many people.

Rachel is a freshman in DGS. 

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