The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
Later when I thought of the chickens, one of those rare pale blue eggs rose up into my throat. The chickens had been part of our family, and the egg in my throat was the feeling of something missing. It was hard and smooth and heavy, but also so fragile it might break and make me cry. It was the feeling of growing out of a favorite shirt, milk spilled on the floor, the last bit of honey in the jar, falling apple blossoms. It was the lump in the throat behind everything beautiful in life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the bittersweet feelings of loss and nostalgia associated with cherished memories.
Melissa Coleman’s quote encapsulates the complex emotions tied to loss, nostalgia, and the beauty embedded in life's fleeting moments. It metaphorically illustrates how memories, like the fragile blue egg, can evoke deep feelings of longing and sorrow, representing something we once held dear but can never reclaim. The imagery of familiar and sentimental experiences emphasizes that even joy can be tinged with sadness, manifesting in a physical sensation like a lump in the throat.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a memorial speech, one might reference this quote to express the deep emotions associated with loss.
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Like my mother, I was always saying, 'I'll fix my life one day.' It became clear when I saw her die without fulfilling her dreams that my time was now or maybe never.
[H]e lay awake, dreading the dawn when he would have to say good-bye to the small universe he had built for himself over the years.
... And the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever.
Night is the other half of life, and the better half.