Holding Two Worlds at Once
Learning to tend the joy
This week, I’ve found myself living in two worlds at once.
In one, I am with my favorite 11-year-old—eating ice cream, wandering through our little town, listening to her explain to me all about sharks as we watch Jaws, her presence rooted fully in the moment. There is an ease here and a reminder of how restorative these simple joys can be.
In the other, I am holding something harder. A situation I cannot fix. A path I cannot direct. Questions without clear answers.
And what I’m noticing is this: both worlds are here at the same time.
For a moment, I found myself wanting to choose. To lean fully into the joy and push away the worry. Or to focus on the problem, as if more thinking might somehow solve it.
But I’m discovering that life isn’t about clean choices. It’s about holding both. To feel the discomfort of what we cannot control and still allow the beauty that is here.
It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn:
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”
This doesn’t mean the waves disappear. It means we learn how to be with them.
And that points me towards a new question: When I can’t control what’s unfolding, what can I tend?
- 🌸 I can tend to presence.
- 🌸 I can tend to simple joys.
- 🌸 I can tend to the relationships that are here now.
These moments don’t solve what’s hard. But they do sustain me as I move through it. And perhaps that is the practice. Not waiting for everything to resolve before allowing joy, but letting both exist, side by side.
Here’s to holding two worlds with an open heart, allowing what’s hard and tending to what’s beautiful right now.
