“Back in MY day…” Haha showing my age, but that’s how it started. The helpful, pioneer stock women in my family would tell me, “We walked to school 100 miles a day, uphill both ways, in torrential hurricane storms, shoeless,and we were never ‘unhappy’ or ‘depressed.’ So pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Didn’t help that as a Mormon in Utah, “unhappiness” was literally an indication you were not being a good Mormon; for “wickedness never was happiness.”

Yes, embrace the dark. Own it — shine lights into the inky blackness. I do it, daily. I also know the perils of doing it so much, too much, so that one begins to “live there.” That will not serve me, or anyone. I appreciate that you brought up the balance, the joy when you feel it, the pain when it comes as well. Honoring where you are. Striving for authenticity is difficult while living in a social group, interacting in a social setting: finding a balance is the key — being a part of a group while remaining true to yourself can be a fraught endeavor. Balancing, as you well know, is not a static act, but a constant attempt to right ourselves, every moment, as we try to stay on our courses, and do our best, each day. Thank you for this.