The jeans

The car

The song

The phone

The idea

The relationship

When it is new and exciting it is a thrill. But then after a while, as the song goes ‘the thrill is gone’.

The thrill does not last forever. It can’t.

Newness fades.

When the thrill dies, a quieter and lasting type of interest is born out of it. A connection and value that comes as a byproduct of embracing the thrill but then letting it die [because that’s what thrills do], not trying to artificially keep up the excitement or abandoning the thing all together.

It is what is on the other side of the newness that we should be seeking.

Committing to what is on the other side of the thrill is what brings about a deeper life.

Will you still want it, embrace it, cherish it, value it, be loyal to it, when the newness fades, when the thrill dies?

Even though the thrill dies and the newness fades, some things are able to retain their specialness. The moon remains special, Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue remains classic, Bessie Head’s Maru is timeless. Some things actually get better with time.

PS: It is not about committing to every aspect of your life that is thrilling and seeing it through. That would be impossible. It is about understanding the flow and process of thrill, commitment and fulfilment and having the courage to apply it.