This is lovely, Michael. Sweetly vulnerable and honest. Made me sigh with delight.
You wrote, "Perhaps it’s all the emotional carnage of the past couple years—cancer, Covid, moving, depression, debilitating loneliness. Yet none of that explains this new virus of joy I feel."
You know better than I what explains your joy. But I can say that in my own life, it IS the "emotional carnage" that deepened me, like a potter's hands into clay, pushing the walls of my capacity for ALL feelings -- including joy. My losses, pain, and tragedies broadened and expanded my heart, making SO much more room for bliss. Which is why I have only the deepest gratitude for all of the shitty stuff! :-)
I'm so happy for you and your newfound love. May your joy continue to expand!
Agree 100%. Wonderfully articulated. No pain no (emotional/spiritual l) gain, right? Gratitude for the hard in life is a monumentally helpful tool. Thanks for reading and commenting ❤️❤️
What a beautiful Ode to Love. I resonated with the line you quote, ‘There’s a road I have known I could always find.’ It speaks to an inner knowing, a sense of certainty that the path is there to find. Specifically, in your piece, about love and connection. I feel it for the path I am on. Thanks for sharing :)
Wow. That was beautiful, Michael. One line struck me: “I never stopped trusting some core part of myself.” Yes. That core part--that is what brings us back into balance, if we listen--because that core you speak of is self love, the belief that we are worthy of this life. Of love. Thank you for sharing your quiet, profound moment.
Nice writing. But if I may, the word you wanted is "innumerable," not "enumerable."
Beautiful.
Beautiful. Can identify with much of this.
Thanks!
Roads are a great metaphor for life; smooth, bumpy, forks, treacherous, beautiful, scenic.....
Yes exactly ❤️❤️
Let the “virus of joy” spread far and wide!
❤️❤️❤️
Very well done, Michael. I can hear your heart through your words.
Cheers, Ben!
This is lovely, Michael. Sweetly vulnerable and honest. Made me sigh with delight.
You wrote, "Perhaps it’s all the emotional carnage of the past couple years—cancer, Covid, moving, depression, debilitating loneliness. Yet none of that explains this new virus of joy I feel."
You know better than I what explains your joy. But I can say that in my own life, it IS the "emotional carnage" that deepened me, like a potter's hands into clay, pushing the walls of my capacity for ALL feelings -- including joy. My losses, pain, and tragedies broadened and expanded my heart, making SO much more room for bliss. Which is why I have only the deepest gratitude for all of the shitty stuff! :-)
I'm so happy for you and your newfound love. May your joy continue to expand!
Agree 100%. Wonderfully articulated. No pain no (emotional/spiritual l) gain, right? Gratitude for the hard in life is a monumentally helpful tool. Thanks for reading and commenting ❤️❤️
What a beautiful Ode to Love. I resonated with the line you quote, ‘There’s a road I have known I could always find.’ It speaks to an inner knowing, a sense of certainty that the path is there to find. Specifically, in your piece, about love and connection. I feel it for the path I am on. Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you. I’m glad you’re on that path as well. It’s a beautiful thing ❤️
Beautiful. Truth. So happy for you.
❤️❤️❤️
I love your writing and this on love was very touching. I, too, remember a road and first falling in love with my now husband.
I heard that the physical heart is a second "brain". I think about that a lot, considering the depth in relation to the experience of love.
Thank you so much 😊 I love this: The heart as a second brain. Agree!
Very nice, Michael! The Road. On it one can find peace, perspective, and place in the world. Thanks for writing.
Cheers! Thank you for reading!!
Wow. That was beautiful, Michael. One line struck me: “I never stopped trusting some core part of myself.” Yes. That core part--that is what brings us back into balance, if we listen--because that core you speak of is self love, the belief that we are worthy of this life. Of love. Thank you for sharing your quiet, profound moment.
Thank you 🙏