You know when you're in the midst of happiness and you realise, even while you're happy, that nothing lasts --

and then you feel sad and terribly lonely;


But of course nothing lasts. No one can be cripplingly sad every second of the day. No one can be joyful every passing moment. It's because it deviates from the norm that it's given a name. And you can't be on an extreme forever.

So, happiness doesn't last forever. It's some consolation that neither does sadness. Neither does pain.

In other words, the loneliness that I'm feeling now, before the last day of this difficult, trying, but warm and encouraging posting, is pretty much proportional to the happiness it gave me. And I can say that it was worth it. It could hurt a lot more than it does now and I'd still say it was worth it. I'll probably forget a lot of the good times, but it's carved itself into a corner of my immaterial soul and is absolutely, definitely, worth it.

Thank you, everyone.