Pain

 Traveling for work and decided to catch a movie.  A Real Pain. 

Afterward, my wife asked me if it was good. 

It was.  I also said it was interesting.  She thought that might be akin to saying a blind date you met "had a good personality."  But that wasn't the case.  It truly was both.  

There was sadness mixed with joy.  Playfulness muddled with dread.  Innocence blended with scars. 

I tried to find the meaning and I came away with the feeling that through pain, we feel.  Through pain, we endure.  Through pain, we connect.  Real pain makes you feel alive. 

Recently, I was feeling pain.  It was because a series of seemingly unrelated circumstances that were all thrown into the pot and simmered until it reached a boil.  After some tears, honest talks, and  reconnections, I felt the healing salve. 

Ironically, in an empty theater, I felt connected.  Calm and at peace.  Maybe it was the pain before.  Maybe it was the cocktail before.  Maybe it was the story I was watching.  Maybe...it's just a part of healing. 

Maybe...