Sweeter after…

Pink saturated Thalia’s cheeks.
Nary a tear fell.
There was a spring in her slippers and a smile on her face.

“It’s like… like… We’ve gone back to February sixth! The day before the fall, which was the day before the mammogram, which was two days before the biopsy and three days before,” Tal gulped, “the diagnosis.”

Calliope read from Typist’s legal pad of quotes. “Always having what we want may not be the best good fortune. Health seems sweetest after sickness, food in hunger, goodness in the wake of evil, and at the end of a long labor… sleep. Heraclitus.”

“It seems the old marble bust knew a thing or two about the human condition,” said Nia. “It’s true that we haven’t felt this good… for about a month. What a joy! When the blasted fourleg pulled us around this morning… No wincing in pain! And speaking of Heraclitus…”

Thalia motored her mouth like Dale Earnhardt at the start line. “You’re going to say, ‘No man ever steps in the same river twice, for he’s not the same man and it’s not the same river.’ I knooooow that we have not returned to who we were on February sixth. Normal is a myth. We get to choose to be better, not bitter, because of our experiences.”

“Sorry for saying I didn’t like you yesterday!” Calliope called to Typist.

“Forgiven,” Typist replied. “Mercy instead of justice. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

---

A word from Typist:

I am feeling well today — hip-hip hooray!

and… a pre-recorded message from Substack follows. I’ve downloaded their app onto my iPhone. I like it! I am a huge fan of this platform and its founders. Feels like home to me.

I have exciting news to share: You can now read 3musesmerge in the new Substack app for iPhone.

With the app, you’ll have a dedicated Inbox for my Substack and any others you subscribe to. New posts will never get lost in your email filters, or stuck in spam. Longer posts will never cut-off by your email app. Comments and rich media will all work seamlessly. Overall, it’s a big upgrade to the reading experience.

The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.