"This too shall pass" is a quotation that both inspires and depresses me. (Kind of like another one, which I heard years and years ago, about operating systems: "When God closes a door, He opens Windows." Hahaha!)
When you're wallowing neck-deep in [insert name of large animal of choice] manure, it's comforting to think that you won't be standing there forever. That the day will come when you'll climb out and that the problems you used to worry about will become but a distant memory, if at all.
Still...
Doesn't it work both ways then? Isn't it sad to think that any happiness a person feels now could be just as temporary? That "this too shall pass"? Ah, the comic tragedy of human existence. Sometimes I'd like to throw it all in and just become a [insert name of lovely animal of choice].
But then, trials and tribulations can be good things for some people too. They can bring out a person's inner beauty, their hidden strengths. Problems are sometimes likened to sunsets; maybe that's why many people think a sunset is so beautiful. I myself find sunsets to be enthralling (I used to wish that the planet of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's Little Prince was real, just because it had 44 sunsets). Sunsets can be sad in a way because they affirm the passing of the day, but they can also bring hope. It really depends on how each person looks at it, I guess. But whatever the sunset in your part of the world looks like, whether or not it's like this or this, I hope that it finds you well.
Now in this part of the world, it's lunch time. So I gotta go eat if I want to live to see another sunset.
17 comments:
To me, a sunset represents a sense of completion. It's kind of like God sitting down on His porch, kicking off his boots (it's a dirty job, being God), putting up his feet, pouring Himself a big glass of lemonade (or if it's been an exceptionally rough day, a martini), nodding and smiling after a job well done.
I've added you to my blogroll; thanks for coming by!
Ian
This is a beautiful line of thought, Lizza.
Kinda bittersweet at the same time, though isn't it?
And I personally, prefer sunrise over sunset. :)
LOL, God with a martini. What a fantastic image (but in my mind I'd picture him with a beer instead of a martini). Yep, must be tough being God. Just ask Bruce Almighty.
Thanks, Tainted. The breaking of the dawn is a magnificent sight too.
Hey, I don't like martinis and am not exceptionally fond of beer. And yeah, its tough being me.
As with my dear friend Tainted, I'm partial to those times when Ra gets to office, rather than when he punches out.
Prometheus, you should've asked Ra for fire then, instead of getting all sneaky and stealing it. :-)
I like to watch and enjoy the magic of a sunset and reflect on the day just finishing. How did it go? What were the highlights of the day? The low point? Did I make someone smile today? How can I make tomorrow a better day? Best of all, I lived another day...
Dat wud be soo boring, Liz. Ya think cute li'll Winona got sneaky cuz she cudn't afford it?
Sneaking is soo much fun.
I never thought of the this too shall pass also applying to good times...wow, I'll have to get used to that.
I prefer to look at my sunsets and be thankful for life...and use it as a reminder that prime time tv is about to start!
Seriously, great post today. It's some good stuff to think about. Here's to many more sunsets!
The sunrise is sort of hard to catch here, but the sunsets are something else. There is nothing like being on a sailboat and watching the sun outline the mountains and the clouds. It's nice to affirm that I made it through another day!
hmmm, that was very thought provoking...i guess of when i think of this too shall pass i usually only think of sad things not the happy times...but they do pass as well. i guess the good thing is that their is always hope that another fun happy moment is right around the corner
Rhys, I was racking my brain for a blog about sunsets that I knew I came across some time ago, and now I realize it was one of yours. :-)
Prometheus, that was freaky behavior by Winona. lol
Michael, thank you! LOL at the thought of a sunset being used as a sort of alarm clock.
Inamini, being on the water at sunset...that sounds fantastic!
Jessica, yes, beauty, sadness, and hope seem to go hand in hand sometimes. :-)
Enjoy your posts- this too shall pass reminds me of a beautiful poem by Kahlil Gibran, on joy and sorrow- found at
http://www.katsandogz.com/onjoy.html
Hi NanNan,
Thank you! And thanks for the link too. I agree - it's such a beautiful poem.
Hi Lizza,
What is life but a quagmire of choices? Even things we're passionate about today... may one day be nothing more than an ebbing memory. I suppose that in the end, we'll be left with whatever it is that we view truly matters to us.
regards,
Juancho
Hi Juancho,
I find that sad...to think that what grips our minds and souls today might become barely a whisper in our lives in the future.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Lizza,
Am never afraid to share them. :D
Thanks also for dropping by my blog & reposting. Finally, am not a zero.
It is sad. Not that important things might be end-up being a whisper... but rather, that we waste our time on things which ultimately will not matter. How wonderful life would be if we all knew from the beginning what IS important.
Can't say I know what that is at this point. Guess that's what life is about... finding out.
Do take care.
Juancho
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