Lately, I’ve become acutely aware of the clarity in my life. This clarity was earned with all that I had and all that I am. I know I am not alone. I know our numbers are too great to count. 

Loss. Grief. Sadness. Devastation. Sorrow. Heartache. 

Endings that happen before we are ready. In ways we couldn’t have envisioned. In ways we never would have wanted or hoped. Ugly endings. Watching life unfold in ways we didn’t imagine but can’t ever forget.

Life’s truths. We all (all!) live them out at one time or another. No one will escape life truths that we’d all rather avoid. I’m so sorry for that. 

But I’m here to tell you some good news about life truths. 

In the moment they may seem all-encompassing. Over-powering. Overwhelming. Obscuring. Insurmountably difficult. Like a fog has descended and will never lift.

But fog dissipates with time.

One moment leads to the next — and so on and so on. And the fog and the pain all the other emotions that seemed so heavy lift just a bit. Just a bit. And then just a bit more.

And as the air clears, so do your senses — in ways they’ve never cleared before. The clarity before you is so intense and vibrantly simple that your world — before — was a misty form of reality, muddled and clouded away from the truth that stands before you now. 

Clarity is uncompromising. It is seeing through the mirage of life and recognizing what was in front of you all along. It is learning to please the world and love life without sacrificing yourself. 

It is like opening your eyes for the very first time. Confusion is suddenly untangled and the simplicity is beyond exquisite. 

It is honesty without hurtfulness toward others or disregard for yourself. It is respect for all.

Clarity provides vision. Not of the future or the past, but of the now, because the now is all there is, really. Now is what matters. Yesterday is gone. Learn from it and move on. Tomorrow will come and become your now. Clarity is living in the now. 

Clarity lets you know what is right — for you and others and the planet. It combines the me with the we to create something new and beautiful between the two. It is the us. 

Clarity is non-judgmental. It is kind. It is infinite. It is without ego or selfishness. It just is. 

Clarity is decisiveness without hesitation. It provides direction. It is direction. The way forward is clearer than clear and there is no doubt, because the way forward is the only way.

Clarity is truth, with a capital T. I am what I am. You are what you are. No jealousies. No apologies. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Clarity is beautiful. I’ve come to revere it.

Great loss brings with it the opportunity for great growth, because loss pares you down to the very core - your very bones. There is no fat left for self-deception or pretending to be what you are not. You discover — you know what you’ve always known — that you are enough, without any fluff or pretense, without disparity or disdain. 

Clarity can be a culmination of that growth. And that right there brings the potential for infinite and unconditional peace, joy and wonderment. 

Clear as day. And more than wonderful. If you truly open your eyes and simply let it be.

— Jill Pertler’s column Slices of Life appears regularly in the Times. She can be reached at slicescolumn@gmail.com.