this will make you feel better

i remember going

to a therapist once

after a tough break up,

and sitting there in the chair

licking my wounds,

asking for advice

as to what's next for me.

i felt doomed, as if

i was always going to be

stuck in this dark

hole i had dug.

a never-ending loop

of failed relationships.

the therapist adjusted the glasses

on her nose and set down

her yellow legal pad,

and said,

what about volunteering,

have you ever thought

about doing something 

like that?

what do you mean, i asked

her.

like doing what?

helping people. it will get

your mind off your

own troubles when

you see how messed up

other people are.

how better off you are

compared to a lot of people

in the world.

nah, i told her. that's not

for me. that would depress

me even more. okay.

how much for this session?

but you still have twenty

more minutes to go.

nah, i think we're done.