Returning to my desk, after a bout of illness, I'm struck by the difference in how I feel.
It’s funny isn’t it, this experience we’re having. I’ve spoken about it before, how it’s the changes we feel—the comparisons—rather than the absolutes (everything’s relative!) because that’s what’s foremost in my experience right now: noticing the difference.
And living my life vicariously through the music, lyrics and musings of my favourite band, I’m reminded of an interview with front man Dave Gahan, just around the time of their 1997 masterpiece, Ultra.
Freshly sober, he was being asked to reflect on the turmoil of the previous years; how it had informed their writing and their view on things. No longer a slave to the needle, how was he getting his kicks these days?
Ever the one for a bit of self-reflection, he replied:
“Sometimes I think when you’re in a place of sadness or pain, coming out of it is the high.”
Yeah, man, I feel you.
You can’t have the ‘light’ without the ‘darkness’ – that’s the whole thing about being human! If it was all ‘light’ then you wouldn’t notice. It would just be this flat, featureless expanse of experience without any nuance whatsoever.
The more we see this, the more we start to appreciate that lovely quote from Richard Carlson, propounding the benefits of seeing life with clarity:
“You become more gracious with the lows, and more grateful for the highs.”
Have yourself a lovely weekend.
💟
Giles
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