Two Things Can Be True

Sep 2

What might it look like to hold space for multiple truths?

I often joke that I waffle between two very different versions of my future. One minute, I'm inspired and dreaming about all the things I want to create… New ideas, experiences, business ventures. LET’S GO!

Then, I get tired of it all. The performance, the hustle, the expectations, the surface-level crap (can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost deleted my LinkedIn account). And suddenly I'm ready to downsize everything, disappear somewhere beautiful, read books, hike through the woods with my hubby, and live a wonderfully small and simple life.

Here's what I'm realizing: Both desires are real. I don't need to decide which one is the "real me". They're both me.

So rather than forcing myself to choose one, I'm becoming more interested in the space between them.

What might a life look like where I create AND have spaciousness?
Where I pursue ideas that excite me AND refuse to build my life around constant achievement?
Where I dream big AND live small?

That's where the interesting stuff is to explore. And yet, our brains LOVE binaries: right/wrong, good/bad, success/failure, growth/contentment, me/you. Either/or feels clean. It gives us certainty. But humans aren't particularly clean or certain. We're complicated.

We can want growth AND be deeply content with who we are and what we already have.
We can pursue expansion AND embrace simplicity.
We can choose ourselves AND deeply consider the needs of others.
We can love someone AND be disappointed by them.
We can hold someone accountable AND offer compassion while they grow.
We can believe we're right AND remain open to the possibility that someone else sees something we don't.
We can be healing AND already whole.
We can know more is possible AND believe this moment is enough.

That last one has been especially meaningful to me lately. Because growth can quietly convince us that where we are isn't enough yet.

But what if there is always more to learn, experience, create, and become... AND this moment is perfect just as it is?

That's not complacency. It's not settling. It's allowing gratitude and possibility to occupy the same room. That’s the invitation of "both/and" thinking. Not to eliminate tension. Not to pretend everything is equally true. And certainly not to abandon discernment when a real choice needs to be made. But to notice when we're forcing ourselves (or someone else) into an either/or that doesn't actually exist.

So this week, notice the binaries you're carrying… about yourself, someone you love, your work, your future, etc.

Then ask: What if two things can be true? And see what opens up.