Two Hundred Seventy-Eight

Hidden beneath tangled layers of memories modified by time and experience are clear, true recollections that remain pristine and unaltered. I believe those recollections, those brilliant reminiscences etched so deeply into the brain that neither time nor experience can change them, hold the keys to our true selves. Those crystal clear memories are few; they are disconnected from one another. They suggest we consist of delicate armatures to which the balance of our lives adhere. The strength of the bond between our experiences and the underlying armature determines the degree to which we weather the vagaries of life. If we do not withstand the forces against which we battle, we surrender control to something outside ourselves; that is the definition of tragedy.