Find Hope: Many Things Are True At Once

“Polarity exists so that we may discover the truth beyond this world of duality, which is the ultimate purpose of life.” ~ Dashama Konah Gordon

Around the globe, many are experiencing deep frustration, pain and despair right now. And, some are staying curious and exploring radical new ways of being and seeing. Most of us are dancing with both.

Yesterday, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. She asked how I was doing. I paused (I’m a get real or go home gal). I recalled feeling down this morning after reading a news article … and experiencing excitement yesterday after hearing about my friend’s new nonprofit for teens. I smiled, recollecting these highs and lows, and said, “I’m remembering that many things are true at once.”

While many of us are deeply concerned about radical policy changes in the U.S. and abroad, my colleagues and I who work in the area of women’s empowerment are also seeing women rising in many new ways: writing books, taking action to support children’s rights, using their artistic talents to enact change, speaking out against injustices and collaborating and weaving their gifts in community with one another. 

The concept of living with extreme opposite feelings—or what I like to call polarities—is not new. From as far back as we can remember, we’ve been fascinated with the balance between light and dark, contraction and expansion, life and death and how close tears are to laughter. Polarities are everywhere.

In fact, many of my colleagues in the field of mindfulness, neuroscience and leadership believe polarity—creating consciously from wholeness—is the key to unleashing enormous untapped potential.

Richard Rohr, author of Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, says, “The dualistic mind is essentially binary, either/or thinking. It knows by comparison, opposition, and differentiation. It uses descriptive words like good/evil, pretty/ugly, smart/stupid, not realizing there may be a hundred degrees between the two ends of each spectrum. The dualistic mind limits our ability to feel fully as it cannot process things like infinity, mystery, God, grace, suffering, sexuality, death or love.”

If we are able to hold opposite feelings and experiences: frustrations—that are very real—and our highest aspirations, we open ourselves up to a vast space of possibility: to the great wide open.

I encourage you to pause and be open to the many gifts that can come from this thinking. Pull up two chairs and invite the extremes you’re experiencing to tea. What would they share? As you consider the concept of polarities, you might ask yourself:

• What are the current polarities I’m observing in my life/career/relationships?
• Which end of the spectrum do I tend to gravitate towards (continuously hopeful/optimistic or chronically negative and discouraged)?
• Am I comfortable holding extreme emotional states in the same space or do I want them at opposite ends of the building?!
• If I were to describe this dance (of extremes) would it be a waltz or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller?”
• What opportunities might come forth from “being” with both extremes (i.e. shifts, new perspectives, ideas, etc.)?

As you compassionately examine areas of your life where polarities exist, consider what brilliant breakthroughs might be awaiting if you’re willing to start pausing, become curious, listen more, and include “and” as often as you include “or” in your debates. Many things are true at once.

Warmly,

FOUR WAYS TO PRIORITIZE YOUR SELF-CARE:

• Craving deep-to-the-bones rest this winter? Join me for two opportunities: Sunday, Dec. 20, 2–4:30 p.m. ET a live Zoom retreat: Sinking Into Stillness: A Winter Solstice Retreat (replay available) or in-person Feb. 5–7, 2027 for Permission Granted: The Sacred Art of Self-Care, a deeply nourishing women’s spirituality retreat at Kripalu. Register here.
• *Almost full!*  Sept. 23-29, 2027  Sing, Dance Pray: A Pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland with Renee.  Photo above. Only a few spots left. Learn more/register (early bird rate ends October 31st).
• Are you feeling called to facilitate women’s groups/retreats? Check out Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats ~ an online, self-paced training & mentoring course. Only $195. Learn more/enroll here.
• Live in the Southeast or near North Carolina? Join me in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains for a Wild Souls Adventure: authentic movement classes, community song circles, full moon hikes, meditation/resiliency workshops, women’s circles & more or have me design a custom experience/ritual for your team/friends: learn more. Join us on Sunday, Oct. 25th for Wild Souls Authentic Movement classes in Brevard, NC outside of Asheville; learn more here.  

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by transformational coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women live more intentionally and find balance through the art/science of self-care, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, AARP, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. She’s the author of several books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Renee and her husband live in Western North Carolina and they have one son in New York City. Her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.