lessgravity

“He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.”

-Aeschylus

Pretty highfalutin' but there's something to it.

I was thinking how what one can esteem for in sobriety is not just peace, lessening anxiety, clearheaded days but this – to live well is also to suffer well.

Not just to ride on the crests of happiness or contentment.

Life is suffering and loss – to do that well, seems to me, is to be a part of what it is to live properly.

And being sober sometimes hurts. Most of the time it seems to bring me peace and contentment and surety that I can trust my own self. But there are certainly times that life stings and not drinking stings. Enduring those stings with some level of grace or nobility is something I am trying to keep in my mind these days.