And Also

I can be tough AND ALSO be fragile. I can cry AND ALSO laugh. I can have enough AND ALSO want more. I can have the desire to experience everything AND ALSO want to rest. I can be still AND ALSO move. I can feel sad AND ALSO keep going. I can be happy AND ALSO feel stuck. 

I can be a mom AND ALSO hold on to my identity. I can be a professional AND ALSO maintain my personal life. I can share stories with others AND ALSO safeguard my privacy. I can do my best AND ALSO be exhausted. I can respond AND ALSO remain quiet. I can know who I am AND ALSO want to grow, learn and change. 

I can give of myself AND ALSO maintain my boundaries. I can spend time with others AND ALSO value the solitude to restore my energy. I can ask for help AND ALSO be the one to show up when someone needs me. 

I can love sports AND ALSO love getting a manicure. I can wear comfy clothes AND ALSO sparkly dresses. I can want to be like Erin Andrews and be the sideline reporter at the NFL game AND ALSO be the co-host of Dancing with the Stars. 

I can be ready to move on AND ALSO sad to leave. I can love someone AND ALSO be frustrated by their actions. I can be strong AND ALSO want someone to carry me. I can be a dependable person AND ALSO not want people to be dependent upon me.

I can be steadfast in my faith AND ALSO wonder what church home fits best for me. I can question my next move AND ALSO trust that things will work out. I can wait for God’s timing AND ALSO be impatient. 

I can be a good writer AND ALSO stumble over my words. I can have clear ideas AND ALSO have multiple trains of thought whose tracks crisscross every which way. I can explain myself AND ALSO be misunderstood. I can be proud of myself AND ALSO be humble. 

I can be logical AND ALSO be emotional. I can hurt AND ALSO heal. I can be serious AND ALSO have fun. I can lay by the pool reading AND ALSO dive in and splash around in the water. 

I can crave order AND ALSO thrive in the chaos. I can wish, hope, pray that things are different AND ALSO accept the realities of life. I can expect more from someone AND ALSO meet them where they are. I can know my stance AND ALSO see something from a different perspective. I can trust my experiences AND ALSO put myself in another’s shoes. 

I can forgive myself AND ALSO try not to make the same mistake again I can push harder AND ALSO give myself grace. I can achieve balance AND ALSO swing from one end of the pendulum to the other. 

I can be short in stature AND ALSO take up a lot of space in the world. I can use my voice AND ALSO not know what to say. I can find the words AND ALSO have them stick in my throat. I can say the wrong thing AND ALSO have good intentions. 

I can experience these moments singularly AND ALSO allow myself to be fully immersed in these radical contradictions of the human condition.