TM prompt--Revenge, Relief or Vindication?
Revenge, vindication or relief... hmmm. Interesting. I've done all three. Each one definitely has its perks.
Of course I like vindication, especially when Fornell is trying to tell me something I know is wrong. It's happened dozens of times and every time is just as sweet as the first. It just never gets old. Really, though, Fornell ought to know better than to argue with me by now.
I've had revenge as well. That's definitely a good feeling. I had revenge for my wife and daughter. I had revenge for Kate. The thing about revenge, though, is that the feeling doesn't really last. I'm glad for the revenges I've taken, and I'd take them again in a flash. But at the end of the day, revenge doesn't bring back the ones you've lost. You're still stuck with that horrible hollow feeling. I suppose the revenge makes it easier for me to handle the hollowness, knowing that the people responsible for Shannon, Kelly and Kate's deaths will never hurt anyone else.
I don't really talk about it much, but relief is the best of the three. Relief never goes away. Years later you can still be relieved about something. Like me. I'm still relieved that DiNozzo didn't die of the bubonic plague, and that Abby is safe and doesn't have that crazy ex-boyfriend stalking her anymore. I'm relieved Ducky didn't get reduced to another meat puzzle in his own morgue. Relieved that Ziva manages to make it from one day to the next without being picked off by some crazy Hamas operative. I'm relieved for at least one thing for every person I interact with, come to think of it, from Director Sheppard to Jimmy Palmer.
I think relief is what really reminds us of what's important. It comes from being scared for something you care about, and knowing that it will be okay. It makes us remember that those we love are not to be taken for granted.
Of course I like vindication, especially when Fornell is trying to tell me something I know is wrong. It's happened dozens of times and every time is just as sweet as the first. It just never gets old. Really, though, Fornell ought to know better than to argue with me by now.
I've had revenge as well. That's definitely a good feeling. I had revenge for my wife and daughter. I had revenge for Kate. The thing about revenge, though, is that the feeling doesn't really last. I'm glad for the revenges I've taken, and I'd take them again in a flash. But at the end of the day, revenge doesn't bring back the ones you've lost. You're still stuck with that horrible hollow feeling. I suppose the revenge makes it easier for me to handle the hollowness, knowing that the people responsible for Shannon, Kelly and Kate's deaths will never hurt anyone else.
I don't really talk about it much, but relief is the best of the three. Relief never goes away. Years later you can still be relieved about something. Like me. I'm still relieved that DiNozzo didn't die of the bubonic plague, and that Abby is safe and doesn't have that crazy ex-boyfriend stalking her anymore. I'm relieved Ducky didn't get reduced to another meat puzzle in his own morgue. Relieved that Ziva manages to make it from one day to the next without being picked off by some crazy Hamas operative. I'm relieved for at least one thing for every person I interact with, come to think of it, from Director Sheppard to Jimmy Palmer.
I think relief is what really reminds us of what's important. It comes from being scared for something you care about, and knowing that it will be okay. It makes us remember that those we love are not to be taken for granted.