--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was past dark when I reached the city…" description: "\"“It was past dark when I reached the city and I’d mostly shoved my ghosts back into their graves. I let the gray mare pick her own pace and browse in t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/deborah-wheeler-79462_dark_it-was-past-dark-when-i-reached-the-city_3168116.jpg" --- # It was past dark when I reached the city and I’d mostly… ![“It was past dark when I reached the city and I’d mostly shoved my ghosts back into their graves. I let the gray mare pick her own pace and browse in the grain fields along the way.” quote by Deborah Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/deborah-wheeler-79462_dark_it-was-past-dark-when-i-reached-the-city_3168116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/deborah-wheeler-79462_dark_it-was-past-dark-when-i-reached-the-city_3168116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/deborah-wheeler-79462_dark_it-was-past-dark-when-i-reached-the-city_3168116.jpg) > ““It was past dark when I reached the city and I’d mostly shoved my ghosts back into their graves. I let the gray mare pick her own pace and browse in the grain fields along the way.”” [Deborah Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-wheeler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator confronts darkness, letting past ghosts rest while moving at a natural pace through desolate fields, symbolizing healing through acceptance. **In simple terms:** Let past ghosts rest, move naturally. Key Takeaway Accept past, progress calmly. Themes healing acceptance journey Mood hopeful quiet Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - grief processing - travel - personal growth - mindful walking Key Concepts Psychology nature symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What does the gray mare represent? - How can one balance mourning and moving forward? A Different Perspective The metaphor may romanticize stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark Reached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-reached-2290699/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Ghosts Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts-graves-5754469/) [Gray Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray-mare-499654/) [Past Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-dark-1379933/) ## Related quotes > [“They had run out of words… Then he and the Lamp were gone… Ruse swallowed hard and then began counting bones again in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-downie/they-had-run-out-of-words-then-he-and-the-lamp-were-gone-ruse/) [Ruth Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-downie/) > [“No past is too dark. No future is too bright. The present is like a switch for us to decide to turn power OFF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floranova-b-msc/no-past-is-too-dark-no-future-is-too-bright-the-present-is-like-a/) [Floranova B. Msc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floranova-b-msc/) > [The old gray mare just ain't what she used to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/the-old-gray-mare-just-ain-t-what-she-used-to-be/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [My past is dark, but my future is bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/my-past-is-dark-but-my-future-is-bright/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“The dam, a gray mare, had a rare marking called “the bloody shoulder.” According to Arabian lore, a mare with this distinctive patch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-letts/the-dam-a-gray-mare-had-a-rare-marking-called-the-bloody-shoulder/) [Elizabeth Letts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-letts/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. 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