Brilliant perfection

I could hardly look outside today; the bright blue sky set off the leaves to a brilliant perfection, making me feel so dull in comparison that I longed for the shadows on the wall in Plato’s cave, unable to handle the beauty and dimension of reality. This is the joy of traveling, of being soaked in the simple wonders of the world till your old skin falls off and you step forward, born anew with the eyes of a child and the knowledge of the ancients; this is the pain of traveling, to know that this sight will be torn away and the knowledge crushed by the shadowy existence of life’s responsibilities. What joy, and what pain! But having felt the joy, it is worth the pain; the pain will pass, but the joy will be with you forever, a light to take out in the dark times, to shine through the shadows and illuminate your way out into the brilliant perfection once more.