Light and Dark

I took that picture on while out walking my dog. I love the juxtaposition of the dark sky with the brightness of the coulees. It got me thinking about life and ourselves. The darkness can be really heavy sometimes and we can wish that we didn’t have to feel some of those heavy emotions like grief, sadness, or worry, but unfortunately they are sometimes unavoidable. Carl Jung said “Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” The darkness helps us to appreciate the brightness of life. Sometimes, it’s not about picking one or the other; the light or the dark, but that both can exist at the same time, and there can be beauty in that. The same is true for life; there are dark moments and light moments, and sometimes dark and light at the same time; mourning the loss of a loved one and celebrating the birth of a new life. It can be hard to navigate those moments, but what can be helpful is to acknowledge whatever we are feeling in the moment without judging those emotions. Taking a moment to pause, breath, and show compassion toward yourself for whatever you are feeling. Life is messy and complicated, but it can also be beautiful.