Joy and Pain

“Today I will be master of my emotions…The tides advance; the tides recede. Winter goes and summer comes. Summer wanes and the cold increases. The sun rises; the sun sets. The moon is full; the moon is black. The birds arrive; the birds depart. Flowers bloom; flowers fade. Seeds are sown; harvests are reaped. All nature is a circle of moods and I am a part of nature and so, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall…Today I will be master of my emotions…It is one of nature’s tricks, little understood, that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday. Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness; yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy. Inside me is a wheel, constantly turning from sadness to joy, from exultation to depression, from happiness to melancholy. Like the flowers, today’s full bloom of joy will fade and wither into despondency, yet I will remember that as today’s dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow’s bloom so, too, does today’s sadness carry the seed of tomorrow’s joy…Today I will be master of my emotions.” -Og Mandino, book The Greatest Salesman In The World

Joy (Pump, pump, pump it up) and pain
(Come on, come on, here we go)
Like sunshine (What else? What else?) and rain
(Ah yeah, here we go)
Joy (Come on, come on, here we go) and pain
(Pump, pump, pump, pump it up)
Like sunshine (Yeah) and rain -song, “Joy and Pain” by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock

I love the below passage in Nikolai Gogol’s absurdist short story, “The Nose”…

After the police officer had left, the collegiate assessor remained for a few minutes in a sort of indefinable state and only after several minutes recovered the capacity to see and feel: his unexpected joy had made him lose his senses. He carefully took the newly found nose in both his cupped hands and once again examined it thoroughly.

“That’s it, that’s it, all right,” said Major Kovalyov. “Here on the left side is the pimple which swelled up yesterday.” The major very nearly laughed with joy.

But there is nothing enduring in this world, and that is why even joy is not as keen in the moment that follows the first; and a moment later it grows weaker still and finally merges imperceptibly into one’s usual state of mind, just as a ring on the water, made by the fall of a pebble, merges finally into the smooth surface. Kovalyov began to reflect and realized that the whole business was not yet over: the nose was found but it still had to be affixed, put in its proper place.

“And what if it doesn’t stick?”

At this question, addressed to himself, the major turned pale.

One of the many wonderful things about art is its ability to spotlight and heighten moments of joy (and pain). There’s one such moment in the Geffen’s current production of THE BROTHER’S SIZE by Tarell Alvin McCraney (a must see) that’s really stuck with me. The two Size brothers, Ogun and Oshoosi, after much conflict, come together in song (Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness”). It’s a beautiful, uplifting moment and you wish it could last forever. The heartbreaking thing is that just like life, it can’t.

While it’s sad that joy is fleeting, it reminds us to not hold on to anything. Be in the moment, and then let it pass through you. That way, you can be fully alive and present in the next moment.

Also, remember that while joy is fleeting, so is sorrow. Take comfort in that. Nothing lasts forever. This too shall pass.

P.S. – This scene. Andie, I still maintain that you should’ve chosen Duckie.

P.P.S. – This song for when you need a little boost.