Earlier this year, I had plans but a delay came up. It was important. I 100% wanted to be fully present in the delay. Simultaneously, I 90% wanted to be in my original plans. I didn’t even feel conflicted about them. Both were true. I chose where I most needed to be, and I was content. One didn’t cancel the other. I couldn’t do both at the same time, but my desire for both still existed. 100% plus 90% obviously doesn’t make sense mathematically. Both can be true. They don’t add to 100, but sometimes life feels split like a conflict. We can be invested in two things but need to reside in our choice, which doesn’t eclipse the alternative.

We sometimes choose one appointment or opportunity over another. We let the secondary go. We don’t miss it, because we embrace our choice. Other times, we resent our decision. We make it out of obligation, or it doesn’t turn out the way we thought, so we wish we’d gone a different direction. Or we try to get a taste of two things, which we can’t truly do at the same time, unless we’re content to limit the experience. And that is sometimes the choice. We’re not 100% focused on either. Perhaps we can’t be. There are too many possibilities twisted by uncertainties, guilt, regret, or the fear of missing out.

It’s okay to be conflicted. It’s also okay to wrestle with the decision or make a knee-jerk decision. And it’s okay to stand by that decision and fully embrace all the moments and results. It’s okay to have options and desire that adds up to well over 100%.

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