so familiar. In a flash instant, of course, I realized my mistake and laughed in embarrassment
at my almost doglike confusion over how a mirror works. But for some reason that incident
comes to mind again tonight during my sadness in Rome, and I find myself writing this com-
forting reminder at the bottom of the page:
Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a
friend.
I fall asleep holding my notebook pressed against my chest, open to this most recent as-
surance. In the morning when I wake up, I can still smell a faint trace of Depression’s lingering
smoke, but he himself is nowhere to be seen. Somewhere during the night, he got up and left.
And his buddy Loneliness beat it, too.
Eat, Pray, Love