I am in love with motherhood, for many reasons. One I've noticed lately is how clearly it helps you see the paradoxes of life. You understand and notice in a new way how possible it is to feel and be two (or more) very different things at the same time. How there are, not just in your mood or attitude, or patience level, but in the world as a whole, so many things happening simultaneously that would appear to be mutually exclusive, but in fact, are not. That it's okay like that. And that our ability to perceive all that is going on is ridiculously inaccurate.

I love how it helps me view others and situations with the understanding that, like Maxine Hanks said so well at a discussion night this week, "It is not either___or____, it is both_____ and_____."  I'm either strong or weak. Nope. I am both strong and weak.

While there are times I feel like "Wait, what happened to that patient person I thought I was/would be as a mom?" there are also times I can feel myself patient in very expanded ways, not just with my child. And the number of times I've felt myself in an interaction/negotiation/discipline situation where I kind of wish I had a sign that could quickly explain to all observers what was behind all this, helps me genuinely decrease the amount of judging I find my mind trying to undertake with others. In whatever situation.

“Change is the end result of all true learning.” 
― Leo Buscaglia

Anna's first ever attempt at phone photography.