This quote comes from Kipling, and like most Kipling, it isn’t polite, but it is practical. He understood constancy, reliability and the quiet comfort of something that doesn’t argue back.
As an ex-husband, I’m reminded of that every time I run into the Shepkids’ mom.
Marriage is work.
Love is work and sometimes work wears you down.
A cigar, on the other hand, asks very little. It stays lit if you tend to it. It ends when it ends without negotiations and without scorekeeping.
That doesn’t mean life is easier alone, it just means simplicity has its virtues...
... and while we are deep in winter’s grip, don’t forget that the days are getting longer. In 45 days, the sun will be setting at 7:00 PM again.
Cold doesn’t last forever.
Neither do the hard times.
You just have to keep showing up until the light does. Always draw a smile on the sun when you can.
