hard times are a passport that gives you permission to go places you wouldn’t get to any other way. Pain can open doors that would otherwise remain locked. There are avenues of influence. There are situations and opportunities you will stumble upon that would never have been yours had things gone well. Interactions, conversations, moments of great usefulness you probably never would have seen had it not been for the chemotherapy, doctor’s visit, or trip to yet another rehab facility to pick up your son.
