At The Same Time

"Our capacity for wholeheartedness can never be greater than our willingness to be brokenhearted." 

Brené Brown

'Living all in' means being wholehearted to me. The quote above is very sobering. I believe we can't fully feel joy unless we are open to pain. Darn, that gives me a sick feeling even as I write it.

I have a way of shutting down during times of adversity. I choose to feel less so that I can get through the hard times.

But, guess what? You can't turn off feeling during hard times and expect to fully feel during good times.

Living all in means feeling the bads and the goods.

I feel peace in the middle of my pain

I feel trust and hope even though my heart is aching

I can taste the bitter and sweet

Walking where the valley and the mountain meet

There is something so divine 

When pain and grace collide

In the same place, at the same time.

Hilary Weeks

This week I've watched the place where I live blanketed in almost two feet of snow. To some that may seem normal, even mild, but here we don't do snow. We don't own winter boots or snow gear. Very few have a snow shovel. Many don't have a weeks supply of food on their shelves. It has challenged our mood and made us feel helpless.

But, it has been breathtakingly beautiful.

I have felt so frustrated and peaceful, at the same time.

For my friends and acquaintances still without power, I feel their anxiousness. Soon, very soon, all the white will turn to dirty black mud. We will be getting out and about the world with little thought to how peaceful and quiet the world is when everything stops. 

Pacific Northwest Snowacopolypse you have taught me a life lesson. 

Index page for posts about my words in 2019