Today was a yes/and day.
You know the ones. The days, weeks, months, seasons.
I first grabbed onto the yes/and idea after hearing it explained by Annie F Downs, a writer, speaker, and podcast host I’d love to be friends with in real life. Annie describes how two things can be true at a time. The yes/and.
As military spouses, and moms, I think we know this balance well.
Yes, I adore my children, AND it was a hard day.
Yes, I know we must move, AND I am feeling unsure about it.
Yes, I have anxiety, AND today was a good day.
Yes, I am a caterpillar, AND I will turn into a butterfly. 
There are many areas of our lives and our children’s lives where we can apply this concept to shine a light where there may be darkness or to recognize that if you’re a generally positive person, it’s okay to have times of despair.
Annie shared a personal family story on her social media accounts about YES her family experienced a grieving loss of her infant nephew AND she had a summer bucket list of fun activities she wanted to do. She held both.
Annie F Downs wrote, “My friends and I talk a lot about the YES AND of life. We try to limit the use of the word BUT in our conversations, and invite YES AND instead. So YES, I grieve the dreams in my life that don’t look the way I thought they would, AND God has exceeded my expectations of what I thought life could look like.”
I think of a friend I have. YES, she is in chemotherapy, losing her hair, and hates it AND she is still out moving her body, hiking, and doing what she can when she feels well.
I think of my youngest who, YES, is a ball of energy and struggles at bedtime AND just wants me to stay in his room and cuddle.
Yes, I want my quiet time AND he won’t ask for these moments forever.
Yes, I want to see my spouse be successful in their career, AND I want to excel in mine as well.
“I think we can see our dreams come true when we broaden our definitions and embrace our disappointments.” -Annie F. Downs
