hello there, friend,
i look back at some of the hardest times in my life and am so grateful that in retrospect that i see how difficult they were. sometimes in the middle of something difficult, you know it's hard, you know enough to put one foot in front of the other, you break down - sometimes all at once - and sometimes little by little, but it's when you have distance from it - when life feels rich and full again and not overwhelming, that you can see how difficult it really was.
we've talked more than once about the dichotomies in life. the way the darkness helps us appreciate the light, the way cold helps us appreciate warmth - and the opposites are true as well. sorrow enables us to appreciate joy more fully, just as the difficult times in our life help us to appreciate being on the other side of them.
what i've come to believe about all the experiences in my life is that with each one, i'm better able to understand those around me, to have compassion and empathy, because i've been there too. and isn't that what matters - our connections with each other, the encouragement we can give to each other? reading your reflections here, and thinking about my own, i'm reminded that we need each other so much more than we realize.
xo,
b
