A little pleasure, a little pain

Emotional 𖤓

As luck would have it, on a day I am struggling to find the coveted happy place (instead of sitting in the malaise I'm really feeling), my wise friend Camille sends me an email thanking me for being significant in her life. She writes, “It isn’t the best of times for me, but the rough parts confirm that I am part of the human broil." Delight in a butterfly resting for an instant on echinacea, even knowing that in a few days, its bloom and the flower will be gone. 

Instead of getting good at appreciating the melancholy, we spend much of our time trying to avoid the pain. The search for the happy place is linked with our insatiable love of pleasure, sometimes to our own detriment.

Grateful, I respond, "Your words are timely. I wonder who was supposed to prepare us for a little pleasure, a little pain. I guess it's something one learns to love. I still have a ways to go. But you inspire me with your wisdom. And for that I am grateful."