the interweaved tension of

hope bright for all that is future

yet calm acceptance of all that

is now–this balance

is difficult.

 

a teeter-totter relationship,

of matching the weight on both sides,

perched upon the fulcrum of life

that sometimes

rattles and shakes.

 

if ‘the now’ is not counterweighted  

by ‘the hope’ of something finer,

something joyful, wonderful

and full of meaning,

 

then despair can invade with

force torrential crashing down

when life

gets hard.

 

but if hope is the focus alone

always only looking forward

it adds pressure to the now,

the now that needs acceptance

as is for peace to be present

 

or tension expands and eventually

builds around all that currently is

until white-knuckled, holding on

becomes part

of survival

 

both must be acknowledged, both

embraced, both offered the light of day,

 

both as real as the air that we breathe,

unseen except by the force of what they

can do

 

and the balance of what these two

together can achieve

is powerful,

is peaceful,

is healing

 

is worth the effort to intentionally

maintain and might be profoundly

harmful

if neglected

 

-we need them both, balanced 

Photo by Niklas Ohlrogge on Unsplash