Do you want to live forever?

At different points in life, I’ve answered this question very differently.

There was a time when I wanted as much time as possible. Life was good. Work was going well. I had love, stability, momentum. I wanted to protect it. Extend it. If you had asked me then, my answer would have been a clear yes.

There was also a time when I wanted out. I wanted the pain to stop. I didn’t care about longevity or tomorrow. If you had asked me the same question then, my answer would have been no.

What changed wasn’t the question. It was the time and the stage of my life.

It’s the same life, lived through very different phases. Some phases are good — health, money, support. Others are heavy, when nothing seems to work. We want endless life in good times, and we want it to end in the bad ones.

Different people–different lives–different life stages. When life is going well, we struggle to understand those who are falling apart. And when life is falling apart, we struggle to believe that good phases exist at all.

The worst times always pass. The good times never last.