Bitter first, happiness never.
Chinese people are familiar with the adage “Bitter first, sweetness later”, which encourages people to get the bad stuff out of the way before you have the good so that you can enjoy it better.
That’s bad advice, I feel. Stop it. You’ll never truly be happy if you’re going to keep waiting until there’s no more bitterness. You can control it to a degree on your dinner plate, but when it comes to life, it’s best to savour things as they come.
Stop eating the chicken and then the chicken skin, eat it together. Stop waiting for Ms. Right to come along under Right conditions and Right circumstances, take her as she comes. Stop waiting to be happy by trudging through the thick and thin - be happy as the opportunities come, or you’ll find yourself looking for it all your life.
