Today Sarah tells us a story.
I don't know if it's her story, or someone else's...
but here it goes.
Start Quote
There once was a mighty queen with a short fuse.
One autumn, as the year was beginning to ebb,
the queen fell into a deep melancholy.
She could neither eat nor slumber,
and tears of an unknown origin fell frequently,
which infuriated her, triggering angry fits
that made those around her quake in fear.
Each day the queen summoned a new adviser
from her esteemed circle of sages to
explain the cause of her baffling condition.
In they came and out they went:
the court physician, the stargazer, the psychic,
the alchemist, the herbalist, the philosopher.
All were dismissed as charlatans for their
inability to unravel the mystery of the royal black spell.
They counted themselves lucky to have only their
illustrious careers shortened.
"Surely there must be one among you
who knows the source of my suffering,"
the queen cried in despair.
But her pathetic wail was greeted only with awkward silence,
for all were wary of her wrath.
Finally, the royal gardener was moved by compassion
for the poor woman and slowly approached her throne.
"Come into the garden, Majesty, beyond the walls of your
self-imprisonment, and I will disclose your dilemma."
The queen was so desperate, she did as she was bid.
When she went out to the garden for the first time in many weeks,
she noticed that the bright, vivid colors of summer had faded
and the garden seemed bare.
But it was not, she saw, wholly bereft of beauty,
for it was regal in autumn's brilliant hues of crimson and gold.
The air was refreshingly cool and crisp, and the sky, pure blue.
"Speak gardener," the queen ordered,
"but choose your words carefully, for I seek the truth."
"Majesty, it is not your body or your mind that is ailing.
It is your soul that is in need of healing.
For while you are a mighty and powerful queen,
you are not Divine.
You are suffering from a human condition that afflicts us all.
Earthly souls ebb and flow in sorrow and joy
according to the seasons of emotion,
just as the seasons of the natural world move
through the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
These are the days to be grateful for the harvest of the heart,
however humble it might be,
and to prepare for the coming of the year's closure.
Even now, the season of daylight diminishes
and the time of darkness increases.
But the true Light is never extinguished
in the natural world,
and it is the same in your soul.
Embrace the ebb, my beloved queen,
and do not fear the darkness.
For as night follows day, the Light will return
and you will know contented hours once again.
Of this I am sure."
The unhappy queen considered this wisdom thoughtfully
and asked the gardener how she possessed the secret knowledge
of inner peace during the seasons of emotion.
The gardener led her to a brass sundial.
It read: This too, shall pass.
End Quote
This is perfect for today.
I have been riding a depression wave for over a month now with no respite,
and it is driving me nuts.
I needed these words today.
This too shall pass.
I keep trying to remember that
you just need to ride the wave,
because it will eventually pass.
Eventually this will pass,
eventually the wave will ebb away,
and I will be happy again.
I'll probably have to deal with depression my entire life.
The waves will always come in and out,
but they will always go back out.
It's all part of being human.
Learning to ride the wave, to be happy for
whatever life throws your way, to find joy in the journey,
to see the beauty in the fall and winter...
This opportunity, this life,
it's a lot to be grateful for.
It's all going to be okay.
***
Gratitude Journal
***
1) Three angels came and helped me clean my entire downstairs. They knocked it out in an hour. I'm so grateful for them.
2) After a crazy day yesterday, I'm grateful for the time to slow down.
3) My health.
4) My home.
5) My family, and that they love me and I love them.
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