--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was once Mazama, I kept reminding…" description: "\"“This was once Mazama, I kept reminding myself. This was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/cheryl-strayed-605_healing_this-was-once-mazama-i-kept-reminding-my_1328390.png" --- # This was once Mazama, I kept reminding myself. This was… ![“This was once Mazama, I kept reminding myself. This was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was once a wasteland of lava and pumice and ash. This was once an empty bowl that took hundreds of years to fill. But hard as I tried, I couldn't see them…” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/cheryl-strayed-605_healing_this-was-once-mazama-i-kept-reminding-my_1328390.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/cheryl-strayed-605_healing_this-was-once-mazama-i-kept-reminding-my_1328390.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/cheryl-strayed-605_healing_this-was-once-mazama-i-kept-reminding-my_1328390.png) > ““This was once Mazama, I kept reminding myself. This was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was once a wasteland of lava and pumice and ash. This was once an empty bowl that took hundreds of years to fill. But hard as I tried, I couldn't see them in my mind's eye. Not the mountain or the wasteland or the empty bowl. They simply were not there anymore. There was only the stillness and the silence of that water: what a mountain and a wasteland and an empty bowl turned into after the healing process.”” [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects how profound loss and healing can erase vivid memories, leaving only a quiet, transformed state. **In simple terms:** Healing can erase vivid images, leaving calmness. Key Takeaway Embrace the quiet after loss. Themes healing loss memory transformation Mood reflective somber Type memoir inspirational When to use this quote - personal loss - grief counseling - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology grief mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What does the stillness feel like after loss? - How can we honor what was lost? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize loss, overlooking lingering pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Healing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing-process/) [Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lake/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Mountain Stood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain-stood-3488986/) [Mountain Wasteland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain-wasteland-4448613/) [Reminding Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminding-mountain-4448615/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Stillness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stillness/) [Wasteland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasteland/) [Wasteland Lava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasteland-lava-4448614/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“Bleak as the scene was, though, there was growing joy in Inman's heart. 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This was once a mountain that stood nearly 12,000 feet tall and then had its heart removed. This was once a wasteland of lava and pumice and ash. This was once an empty bowl that took hundreds of years to fill. But hard as I tried, I couldn't see them in my mind's eye. Not the mountain or the wasteland or the empty bowl. They simply were not there anymore. 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