Photo by cottonbro
Sorrow and Joy
Sorrow and joy
can be friends,
even play together,
talk at the same time.
Who says they
have to be enemies?
Fighting for dominance,
one subduing the other?
Chocolate or vanilla?
Why not chocolate-vanilla swirl?
Rain or sunshine?
Why not rain, sun, and rainbows?
Summer or winter?
Growth or rest?
Look at their joint children –
fabulous fall and happy spring.
Sorrow and joy must play together,
rub off on each other,
fight with each other,
be quiet together.
Joys can’t fully erase sorrows.
Losses don’t steal all joys.
Today and forever, they must be friends,
or else, we will lose ourselves.
© 2024 gratefulsue
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Sorrow and joy are universal experiences. Here is a scant list: seeing a beautiful sunset, losing property or loved ones in a devastating flood, having a best friend, moving away from good friends, a clean bill of health, a scary diagnosis, an exciting new job, the loss of a job, the birth of a baby, the loss of a child. Sorrow makes joy all the more wonderful when it shows up. Yet, having experienced joy in the past makes sorrow all the more difficult in the present. Sorrow is a reminder that something beautiful and wonderful has faded into “past history.” Naturally, we prefer to remain in joy.
Nevertheless, sorrow can foster new connections with people who have trod the same path we are on, people who both want and are able to support us. We are enriched by these new relationships. We learn new things and see the world differently when we can sympathize with more people and situations. As we grow in life experiences and empathy, we make our world a little bit kinder and richer in the process.