This too shall pass.
Words that have gotten me through every struggle and will see me through until the day I die
My grandmother had a phrase she liked to say a lot. I only know this because of my mother, and it’s not original to her, but it’s one that’s come to mean a lot to me.
This too shall pass.
I have found this phrase to be particularly pertinent in times of stress, anxiety, and a foreshortened sense of the future that often accompanies these fearful feelings.
My mom is also quick to point out that it applies to joyous situations too. Savor the moment. Appreciate what’s going on around you — because even it won’t last forever.
My mom bought a ring several years ago that’s made from a spoon, and on it is the phrase “this too shall pass”, along with a dandelion etched into the edges of the piece of the spoon.
As I wear it on my finger and look at its message I’ve found much peace about many things in life.
That waiting period I’m in? It will end.
That stressful project I’m working on? One day it won’t matter so much.
That person I love to talk to? I should pick up the phone and call them because we won’t last forever.
One would think that a simple message with such an impact would be stressful and anxiety-inducing in and of itself — but instead, I think it’s the exact opposite.
At the end of the day, I think we want our lives to be finite. We want to know that we have limited time and therefore what we do matters. We want to know that our efforts are not in vain and that our urgency to do what’s right and what’s good is not without its justification.
Wise people are the ones who move slowly but intentionally, knowing moments are fleeting and it would be best to just experience everything for what it is, right now, before it’s gone.
“This too shall pass”, I’ve found, is the anecdote to every problem.
The solution to every worry. The urgency for every love. You won’t have it forever.
Do what you can, and what you must, and do it now.
