Strength

I don't think a lot about strength, but I do talk about it incessantly. I suppose I am strong and that I have been becoming stronger throughout my life. I say this because as I talk about strength over these decades, the substance and essence of the construct changes. Lately, I think I have passed the final threshold of becoming a strong man, that specter of loneliness and martyrdom that has been nipping at my heels, halving the bargain. There are no more empty nights of aimless desperation; no more lamentations of one-way streets; no more semi-shielded insecurity. I have survived those things that prove me strong and that remind me that being strong really just sucks. It is not romantic or glorious. It is, however, a cool comfort in hard times and a reassuring reflection in the gazes of those I care about. So there it is - I am strong and I will stay strong. Strong may change, but I am along for the ride. A cork on the river, as I once told someone who has contributed to this strength..............