Struggle with the “AND”


I am trying to answer the question “How can I bring both empathy AND joy/lightness into a circumstance?” My husband is sick. He’s often sick or in a lot of pain. I see this as part of life, but also part of the negative 50:50. My brain presents an Either/Or answer and I’m trying to get to an AND. Are there better questions to ask my brain to generate creativity here?