You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
With each reunion (we) had to learn each other all over again. There was always that nervous moment at the airport when I would stand there waiting for him to arrive, wondering, Will I still know him? Will he still know me?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the challenges and anxieties of reconnecting with someone after a period of separation.
Elizabeth Gilbert expresses the emotional complexity of reunions, highlighting the uncertainty that comes with reconnecting with someone significant. The anticipation and nervousness at the airport symbolize the inherent question of whether relationships can endure the test of time, and whether familiarity persists despite the changes we undergo in life.
Themes
ReunionRelationshipsUncertaintyConnectionSeparation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a family gathering to highlight the importance of reconnecting with loved ones.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
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When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
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And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
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But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
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