Lots of us live in conflict. These conflicts can be big or small. Live in the city, longing for nature. Married to stable, longing for passion. Broken childhood, happy adulthood. Overweight, desire to run the fields. In The True Secret of Writing, Natalie Goldberg addresses the idea of a third thing. It’s not necessarily something you can point to right away. It’s that medium where you find relief. “Should I do this or that? A choice between two things is not a choice. It becomes a fight between right or wrong.” The idea is that out of the struggle something else can grow. A third thing. It takes an awareness, a waiting, a letting go, a fertilizing, a quieting. In my case, I realized this morning, that my novel is my third thing. That answer to my dark and light. I am so excited to share it with you. Natalie’s third thing is her house in Santa Fe. Her struggling between her love of Minneapolis and its order and her existence in Taos.

If you feel a restlessness over conflict, try this calming meditation I learned from Thich Nhat Hanh:

I am home.
I have arrived.
In the here and now.
I am solid. I am free.
In the ultimate I dwell.

Here’s to your third thing arriving at the moment that is right for you.