Balancing

She walks along the edge of where the ocean meets the sand just like she’s walking on a wire in the circus.

– Counting Crows, Round Here

People often speak about seeking balance in their lives. Sometimes, they refer to wanting things to be in balance or about achieving balance.

But balance isn’t static. It is something we only get to glimpse in passing. Like a sensitive set of scales…as soon as there is the tiniest shift everything is set into motion again. So to, when several plates are spinning, if one is left unattended, it begins to wobble.

The trick with balancing is accepting the wobble–shifting the focus from a static sense of balance to a dynamic balancing.

Most people’s days are made up of many things. Time devoted to work, to rest, and to play. Time shared with family, self, and others. Each day weaves together a different combination of these threads to make its unique tapestry.

We are most successful balancing when we are intentional. We may decide to forego play or exercise one day in favor of a demanding work project. Conversely, several days of rest in a row is sometimes just exactly what is needed to help restore our energy and renew our creativity.

In M. Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled, he refers to balance as “the discipline that gives us flexibility”. It is the discipline of balance that enables us to relinquish the passions of the moment (binge watching Netflix anyone?) and choose wisely for the future. In this example, delayed gratification is a simple but not easy choice.

The more we are capable of disciplining ourselves to be intentional about how we allocate our time and energy, the richer, fuller, and truly more fulfilling our lives will become.

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