Presence (Part 2) — The Pebble Exercise

Several times a year at the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan, I have an opportunity to offer Project UPLIFT, a program aimed and supporting individuals who are navigating seizures and mental health challenges. I have the privilege of co-facilitating these sessions alongside Andrea Thomas, a compassionate therapist from the Henry Ford Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Together, we teach tools of mindfulness, mediation, and relaxation, and midway through the program, we lead participants through an experience called the Pebble Exercise.

The Pebble Exercise is a seemingly simple yet profoundly impactful practice, and it unfolds in a way that often leaves participants both intrigued and grateful. In preparation for this particular session, we invite each person to bring a pebble to our time together without revealing the purpose behind this unconventional request.

When the time comes, Andrea Thomas leads us through a mindfulness reflection centered on pebbles that each person brings. With guidance, everyone is invited to observe the intricate details of these pebbles – their textures, shapes, and colors. Th mindfulness exercise, read by Andrea, also allows people to ponder the origins of the pebbles, imagining the journeys they’ve undertaken to find their way into our palms.

After this, each participant describes their pebbles in detail to the rest of the group and people are always surprised by all that they notice in these seemingly ordinary objects. Then Andrea Thomas then gently prompts us to consider the broader implications of this exercise. She shares, “If we can find such beauty and depth in something as seemingly insignificant as a pebble, something most people would right walk past and never see, imagine how much we can notice in the world around us. And think about how that can invite us to be grateful for the present moment.”

In this way, the Pebble Exercise serves as an invitation to larger, more intentional practices of mindfulness. It encourages us to approach each moment with curiosity, recognizing their details, surprised for what we notice.

—Renee Roederer