Time is generally the best doctor.

Host: The sunlight had begun to fade, casting gentle shadows across the room as the evening settled in. The air outside was still, the last rays of daylight fading into a deep blue sky. Jeeny sat at the table, her fingers resting lightly on her mug, the steam curling up in delicate swirls. Jack, standing by the window, gazed out at the horizon, his eyes lost in thought. The room was silent, save for the distant hum of the city outside. It was one of those quiet moments before the conversation began, the kind where the weight of the unspoken words felt almost palpable.

Host: As the quiet deepened, the moment seemed to stretch, waiting for the first words to break the stillness. Finally, Jeeny spoke, her voice soft but filled with something that could not be ignored.

Jeeny: “I was thinking about something Ovid said: ‘Time is generally the best doctor.’ Do you agree with that, Jack? That over time, pain, loss, even regret, has a way of healing itself?”

Jack: He turned from the window, his gaze thoughtful but skeptical. “I don’t know, Jeeny. Time doesn’t always heal. Sometimes it just makes things feel worse, more distant. The more time that passes, the harder it becomes to move forward. Some things are just too deep, too raw, to be healed with the passing of time. We like to tell ourselves that time will fix it, but that doesn’t always happen.”

Jeeny: Her eyes softened, and she leaned forward slightly, her voice gaining a quiet strength. “But isn’t that the paradox, Jack? Time doesn’t erase the pain or the memories, but it gives us the space to understand them, to process them. Sometimes, the longer we sit with our struggles, the clearer things become. Time doesn’t make it better in a way we expect — it just allows us to grow around it, to learn how to live with it. Healing comes not from forgetting, but from learning how to live through the hurt.”

Jack: He paused, his eyes narrowing as he considered her words. “I get what you mean, but it sounds like you’re just rationalizing it. Time can make things easier to deal with, sure, but pain doesn’t just go away. Sometimes, it gets worse. It just stays with you, and you can’t always push through it. Time might make it easier to talk about, but it doesn’t fix it. Healing isn’t just about waiting for the wounds to fade.”

Jeeny: Her gaze remained steady, her voice quiet but unwavering. “I’m not saying it’s about simply waiting, Jack. It’s about the way time allows us to see things from a different perspective. Healing isn’t linear. It doesn’t happen overnight. But with time, we start to understand the lesson in the pain, the growth in the struggle. Maybe it’s not that time is the fix, but that it allows us to adapt, to find a way to make peace with what happened.”

Jack: He crossed his arms, a faint trace of skepticism still lingering in his expression. “But what about those things that just don’t seem to make sense, Jeeny? What happens when time doesn’t help? When the hurt is so deep, no matter how much time passes, it still feels like it’s there, as sharp as ever?”

Jeeny: Her eyes softened further, her voice taking on a quieter, almost tender tone. “Then it’s about acceptance, Jack. Time doesn’t always heal, but it teaches us to accept what is. To make peace with the things we can’t change. Healing comes when we stop fighting the past and start finding a way to carry it with us, without letting it control us. It’s not about erasing the hurt, but learning how to carry it and still move forward.”

Jack: He shifted, his posture slightly more relaxed now, his gaze distant but reflective. “Maybe that’s the key, then. Not trying to forget, but learning how to live with the things that hurt us. Time doesn’t heal the wound, but it helps us build a life around it, a life where it doesn’t define us anymore.”

Jeeny: Her smile was soft, the quiet satisfaction of understanding shared between them. “Exactly. Time doesn’t erase what’s happened, but it helps us find our way back to hope, to a place where the hurt no longer has control over us. It’s not about moving on; it’s about learning how to live with.”

Host: The room had grown quieter, but now there was a sense of calm between Jeeny and Jack. The night outside had deepened, but inside, the clarity between them had settled like a gentle truth. Jack stood near the window, his gaze softening, as if he had found a new way to look at the passing of time. Jeeny remained seated, her presence steady and calm, knowing they had reached a deeper understanding. The night outside was still, and in the stillness, the conversation had found its own kind of peace.

Jack: “I think I understand now. Time doesn’t always fix things, but it gives us the space to understand and accept what happened. It helps us build something new, even in the presence of the past.”

Jeeny: Her smile was quiet but filled with knowing, a soft nod accompanying her words. “Yes. Time helps us heal by teaching us how to live with the hurt, not without it.”

Host: The night had fully arrived, but inside, the room was filled with a quiet peace — the realization that sometimes healing comes not from fixing the wound, but from learning how to carry it, understanding that time offers the space we need to adapt, to grow, and to ultimately find peace.