Bits and Pieces

Meditations on Montaigne

2) La Tristesse

There are different types of sadness. There is one that can linger in bittersweet disappointment for long periods, never demanding much of me, but always alerting me to its presence.

But there is another type of sadness that bears no resemblance. I can feel its presence in my head. It sucks up hope and replaces it with self blame and spirals of hurt. The worst part about this kind of sadness is that it distorts my greatest strength by making my expressions harmful and irrational.

I can make a friend of my lingering low bittersweet mood. But my deeper sadness, far more rare, is a terrifying destroyer. I know not exactly how it escaped its cage and only hope its path of harm keeps to a minimum before my mind survives its throb.