It’s Holly

After recent events, I figured it was time to re-visit one of my favorite books of all time - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

It’s pretty deep - just a warning. This is one of my favorite excerpts:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

I mean, it just makes so much sense. How can you experience any joy without having been through the sorrow? Your pain comes from reminiscing when times were better, your happiness stems from having dealt with sorrow and being thankful for what you have. It makes me feel better when I think about it. All this pain I feel is just a means of giving me more joy to experience in the future.

so fuck him.