I recently went to Switzerland and it was the trip of a lifetime. I could tell you how beautiful it was, how clean everything was, how there was no plastic, how our skin was so much better and nothing in our bodies hurt anymore, how the cold didn’t even feel cold, how I wanted to bring the host of our AirBNB back home with me and force her to be my best friend, and even that the cows were magnificent. But I’ll save all that for another time.
In the middle of getting stuck in a traffic jam (which was getting stuck behind some cows!), a friend of mine texted me to tell me she was jealous because she was cleaning up poop off of her son’s shoes. I laughed, because, well…we’ve all been there, right? And it was unbelievable that I was in the middle of this particular paradise, and that normal life was still going on.
Fast forward to our second night home. We got in late and while I was at work the next day, TL picked up the dogs. As you probably know, there’s nothing better than coming home from work to a dog, but coming home after a week away to two dogs is even more love than a regular human can handle. They were so ecstatic to see me, but I could tell our older dog was a little miffed that we left her.
The next morning, at 4:00 a.m. (ugh!) I got up and headed to the bathroom and…wait for it, stepped right in dog poop! Yep, our precious Puffy was sure to let me know her true feelings as only a dog can do. It woke me up for sure. Then I just started to laugh because as I was cleaning it off my foot, I knew that somebody was in Switzerland having the time of their life.
Here’s the thing, literally and metaphorically – somebody’s always cleaning up poop and somebody’s always in Switzerland. And I’m sure, somebody, somewhere in Switzerland is cleaning up poop off of their shoes, too!
Life is both the beauty and the stink. It’s full of Switzerland and it’s full of shit.
The key is to take the beauty with us while we’re in the midst of the chaos. It’s to live in and with the knowledge that this moment isn’t all there is. It may feel that way right now, but deep down we know there’s so much more. It’s also to not forget where we came from when we’re in the Switzerland of our lives.
It’s to know that life is not either/or, it’s “and.”
To live in the “and” is to live in gratitude.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I wish for you to live in the fullness of the “and.”
