Ever notice those days when polar opposites keep showing up? Friday was one of those for me.
When I woke, the second floor of the house was humid. By the time I arrived down to my kitchen for a cup of coffee, I was freezing and had to put a sweater on. How is that possible, being both hot and cold, basically at the same time?
As the day wore on, I found I was hungry but not really for anything specific.
I had a day with a lot of meetings scheduled, and not a lot of free time, and yet I was able to produce a lot of work in-between everything else. It was one of those rare days when I finished everything that I had hoped to finish by the time the day was through.
I felt quite clear, even though several of the things I was working on were still in the conceptual stage, and not clear at all.
It was light out here, but dark out halfway across the world. Okay, maybe now I am stretching it a bit.
But I do want to be clear about the point. There is contrast in everything we do and experience, perhaps in every moment. And I think our ability to hold the two polar opposites at the same time and accept them both is a healthy and substantial quality.
F Scott Fitzgerald is quoted as saying ‘the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.’
This may be so, that holding opposites is a sign of intelligence. On the other hand, it may just be a sign of common sense. Life deals us the polar opposites often enough.
It may just be good practice to become even more competent at living well in this world of opposites!
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