One of the hardest parts of healing
is accepting that
two things can be true... at the same time.

We often search for certainty.
We want to place people and experiences neatly into boxes. 
Good or bad. Right or wrong. Worth keeping or worth leaving behind.

... But life is rarely that simple ...

Sometimes the people who hurt us... also gave us moments of great kindness.

Sometimes the relationships that left us with the deepest wounds... also held memories we will always treasure.

__________

Was it meaningful... or was it harmful? 
Was it love... or was it loss?
__________

Over time, I have come to realise that healing asks something different of us.
It asks us to hold two truths at once.
To acknowledge what was beautiful
without ignoring what was painful.
To honour the memories that mattered,
without rewriting the parts that caused harm.

To miss someone, and still know that letting go was the right decision.
There is a quiet freedom in no longer arguing with ourselves.
In no longer trying to erase the good to justify the ending,
or dismiss the hurt to preserve the memory.

Life is often more complicated than that.
Some chapters leave us with gratitude and grief woven together.
Some people teach us important lessons while also
showing us what we can no longer accept.
Some endings are both heartbreaking and necessary.

Perhaps wisdom is not found in choosing one truth over another.
Perhaps wisdom is learning to sit gently with both.

And trusting that our hearts are capable of carrying both.