An unlikely friendship.

Whoever said that beauty dwells in the eye of the beholder was genius. Even though it was likely meant to taken in a positive light, I'm learning there may be more to that phrase than I ever realized. Lately, the validity of my own perspective has been consistently challenged. I find it intriguing to watch a man cover his red clay bricks during a sudden rain storm. The ease of his perfection in the way he places the plastic. The determination and pride in his seemingly simple work. Yet to him this could be a matter of his family eating or not. The outcome of this task will determine if his hours of hard work will profit him anything in the end, or if the rain, in which I am enjoying from my balcony with a cup of hot tea, has just robbed him of everything.

Life seems to work in these common contradicting extremes. Something I perceive as inspiring, exists as a determinant between life and death. External simplicity hides the complex reality below the surface. Wealth reflects poverty. A slave works endlessly for a profit never to be grasped. The displaced are trapped within an intoxicating view they can no longer see. War creates an overwhelming ache for peace. And peace incongruously leaves a void for conflict, a release from some built up anger inside. The abused become the abusers. And history relives itself in the present future.

I'm not sure what to do with these thoughts, they leave a lot of unanswered questions. However there is one more contradiction I'm faced with daily. It is the unlikely friendship between Suffering and Joy. They actually do hold hands I think. Not to say that Despair and Hopelessness are not also close friends of Suffering, they certainly are. Despair is as real as Suffering and as powerful as Joy. And Hopelessness is as deadly to life as anything. Yet I’m learning that the smallest seed of Hope can evoke the greatest power of all. Just a shy smile from her and Joy explodes existence. And even when Joy is holding hands with Suffering, I find her beautiful.