It had been almost six weeks since we left our Hell’s Kitchen sublet in NYC. Broadway had shut down, the university had gone remote, and the world as we knew it had changed forever. It was a Friday night, as I sat nestled in my Adirondack chair, savoring every moment from my front row seat, awaiting the sunset over the Laurentians. It had become a nightly practice, and on the weekends, a festive ritual that I shared with my husband — the only person I have had any physical contact with since we came here. Nature’s pre-show had just begun when a fast-moving cloud scudded by in my peripheral, drawing my eye away from the mountain. I delighted as the puffy white cloud turned pink as cotton candy, catching the light just right. I waxed philosophical as the phrase “this too shall pass” came into my head and, although aware of the old adage’s ability to bring comfort during difficult times, I wondered what it meant to me. 

When King Solomon sent his humble servant on the impossible quest to find the magical ring that could make a sad man happy and a happy man sad, he was astonished when months later, his servant returned with the ring. The ring was ordinary and unadorned, simply engraved with the words “this too shall pass.”

I thought more about the fable that is so often associated with the message that fortune means nothing in the end. And, although there is great wisdom in that, I felt moved to dig in deeper.

When situations are bad we just want them to be over. To go back to the way it was when things were better. Or, at least in retrospect, they seemed better. Weren’t they? Heck, anything seems better when we are feeling this way! When something negative happens, the only way we “know” it’s negative is in reference to something else. We rely on comparison to rate how we feel about our situations, our choices, and, most insidiously, how we rate ourselves.

If the person that is unhappy with his life is comforted by “this too shall pass”, what of the person who is happy with his life? Does this phrase make him sad?

The cloud continued on its journey, drifting out of sight to reveal a clear sky. I felt grateful for this moment and an overwhelming sense of joy overcame me as I thought about how wonderful these six weeks had been. I felt wistful for a moment as a melancholy threatened to rise up in me. “This too shall pass” I thought.

I turned back to look at the sun setting over the mountains, and vowed to savor every moment.