Thursday, April 10, 2008

Bonjour tristesse

Did you know that melancholy used to be one of the seven deadly sins ? Melancholy? Really? Deadly?

They traded it in for sloth sometime during the 17th century.

So I got to thinking about melancholy. Being sad and gloomy. Is that really all that bad? And sometimes it isn’t even that. It’s more like pensive than gloomy. Like pensive with an edge. Edgy contemplation.

I did find an archaic definition that explains the sin aspect. It referred to sullenness and outbreaks of violent anger caused by black bile.

Now that sounds nasty. Black bile. Moral sludge generated by equal measures of sadness, anger, guilt and confusion. Sounds a lot like a crise de foi / foie. A liver crisis of faith. Or a faith crisis of the liver.

The solution for melancholy? Chocolate, I think. Soul salve. Not as good for the liver though. The solution for black bile? Equal measures of rainbows, unicorns, cotton candy and sand castles.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chocolate - yes, it has a wonderful ability to cure most things - lately I've been on a chocolate covered strawberry kick - then I drizzle melted white chocoalte over them - very yummy!

Lorraine said...

Also tea, biscuits and a really good movie.

kingba said...

You take it into as much of the night as you can, crank up the stereo (probably with headphones, buds, what have you) and you WRITE it out, the whole night if needed. I guarantee you that not only will you discover you are a writer AGAIN but by 4 am or daybreak, you will find a new you and let the shtuff behind you. The only problem is... you might find another load of shtuff awaiting you later that 2nd day. Keep writing it out. sooner orl ater, you iwll write frantastic stuff fro mthe guts or you'll shake it off.
Note/warning: it takes a trainload of nervous energy BUT in the very long run, you'll wrestle that gorilla into the ground. I did, so can you.
2nd note: beware of chocolate: there is a low after the high... Been there, done that, dropped it.
Now.. confir de canard: might work, I don't know never drowned my sorrows in confit de canard.. I do confit de connerie(s)--see above!
bonne chance...