Pair - o'- Ducks

Life is full of paradox.
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I had a recent conversation with a dear friend of mine about the challenge of shifting perception away from either/or forced choices about values, actions, and even identity to open up the possibility of being able to embrace a world of both/and. We spoke of the factors that influence us to assuming we must choose one or the other aspect of who we are, how we will live, or what we will believe when in reality the opportunity to embrace it all is right before us. We talked of the difference between hypocrisy (claiming one thing but acting otherwise) and acceptance of valid contradictions, where we might somehow simultaneously BELIEVE or EXPERIENCE things that seem to be polar opposites.
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I guess it was one of those "ya had to be there" sort of conversations...because it really seemed to resonate with meaning for both of us at the time, but I'm at a loss for really explaining either what we said or the impact it had at the time.
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It can feel unsettling to hold firm with both parts of seeming contradictions. Yet those very contradictions often turn out to be my best teachers.
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I'm learning how to be more comfortable with my discomfort, and to let things play out their own music without my having to take control to set boundaries that make me feel safe.

I'm rambling, I know. But there's a kernel of something that matters in here somewhere. I just have to find it, and hold it close to consider for a while.