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AND

A big concept I’ve been wrestling with this year is the idea that in life, good and bad coexist. One does not cancel out the other. Good and bad can share the same space. They each stand on their own two feet and are evaluated independently. It’s not about deciding whether there was more good than bad and labeling it as “good” if the good points outweigh the bad (or visa versa).

It is now past 6pm the day after Thanksgiving, and it has taken me about 24 hours of emotional turmoil and feeling decidedly not thankful to apply this concept to thankfulness and try using the word “and” instead of “but”.

For example:
🍁 I’m grieved that my body still fails me AND I’m thankful for my husband’s love, stability, and goofiness.
🍁 I’m so over being tired AND I’m thankful for my family.
🍁 Chronic pain freaking sucks AND being an aunt is the best.

‘But’ says that the one cancels out the other. ‘And’ says that they are both independent and true things. So the thankfulness thing is going a little better. The good doesn’t cancel out the bad, and you can hurt AND be thankful at the same time (it could even be about the same thing, which is 🥴 but possible).

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