for a time

There are some things, some people, who come along exactly when you need them: a catalyst, a reminder, a symbol. They are right for just a certain time, no more; pulling it longer only ruins it, sours it, but letting go is also painful.

We want things to last forever, to be in love, to connect and to build. As someone I respect immensely said recently, we long for the day when the heartache is over.

I'm not sure it ever will be. We are always choosing to leave something behind. We will always feel the twinge of nostalgia, the pinch of letting go, the pain of choosing the other path, of forsaking what might have been.

And even with near certainty, we always wonder, what if...

This is what Dan Gilbert, one of the inspirations of this blog, said leads to unhappiness. Instead, we must be content in what we have, if we just learn to satisfice. I'm beginning to wonder: there is a sweetness in this, too. And without pain, without the heartache, how will we ever recognize, truly, the joy, the love.