The two trees in Eden give a nice allegory to understand the cyclical relationship between gaining joy, gaining knowledge, and gaining sorrow. Anytime you choose to, you can “eat” from one tree or the other. When you gain more knowledge, you also gain the opportunity to reconcile to it. Should you choose to, you can then either rest in peace (at least until more awareness comes to you unbidden), or you can willingly seek more knowledge.
Though this process tends to be experienced as a cycle, it need not be. If you choose, you can opt out of rest. It is possible to maximize your joy through remaining in a constant state of learning, but doing so is only possible through complete trust in God. Opting out of rest by seeking continuous learning is very difficult because most people will limit their trust in God without constant reassurance that he will indeed deliver good things to them in response to their seeking him. However, the greatest joy in life is available only to those who trust him without limits—even when it isn’t obvious how what he is providing will turn out in their benefit:
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (Psalm 37)
Unconditional trust of God includes not needing him to give you breaks or milestones. You must come to this point before you can live what was described by Jesus when he said “seek ye first the kingdom of God...”:
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6)
The ideal way to move through life is to be continually increasing the number of situations we have put under our feet. This process does not have to take much time.