Whether or not there is weather, hither and thether, is not my concern. I hope I am well protected from it, whatever the weather is. I like rain from heaven, and I don't like pain from hell. So I wonder whether I can adapt to whatever the weather is. Does the umbrella protect me from the pain of rain from hell?
Hell is other people, said Jean Paul Sartre. I can swear there ain't no heaven, but I pray there ain't no hell, said Laura Nyro. Without pain, there is no heaven. Sailors don't learn to sail on smooth seas, said TK last night. So we all need a boat that will take us to where people can create heaven together, and are willing to deal with the pain. I pray that such a heaven exists and I swear it can handle hell.
Bob had left his umbrella behind in the place where we were meeting. But after I read this essay and the meeting was close to ending, Bob's wife came in and retrieved it. A little synchronicity is always cool.
Hell Is Other People: Sartre on Personal Relationships by Kiki Berk
And When I Die by Blood Sweat and Tears (1969) composed by Laura Nyro