BALANCE--7 little letters containing hugely restorative effects

Today I find it necessary to invite balance into my life.

I sometimes dive so deeply into my endeavors that I end up neglecting other areas of my life.

But today I am going to stop my marathon of passionate living and just be for one holy minute. I am going to sit down and breathe. I am going to write. I am going to lay on the couch with my dogs. I am going to cook a beautiful supper for my husband. I am going to connect with friends.

Barbara De Angelis writes that "Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away."

I genuinely feel as though I receive as much as I give. My endeavors, both professionally and personally, fill me in countless ways. But I also know that I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew. My husband, Vinny, often jokes about this habit of mine--and I usually shake my head and laugh at myself along with him. After all, I am an all-or-nothing kind of girl.

And then something will happen to wake me up to the fact that I have neglected myself or certain areas of my life and, when it does, I am reminded of the importance of balance.

ahhhh, sweet balance.

A couple days ago I received an email from a very dear and old friend of mine, Mary. It was short and to the point, telling me that she had been in a very serious accident. A big truck drove into her driver's side door going about 50 mph while she was stopped at a stop sign. She wrote that she is lucky to be alive, that it's a blessing, and that there are no accidents. She now has a lot of healing to do--and yet her sense of balance amazes me.

To be honest, I have no idea how to entice balance back into my life. But I do know that it is important that I try. And so today I openly invite balance to come in and play. Beginning with this blog post. Beginning with friendship. Beginning with relaxation, dog love, and family.

Once upon a time I lived in the middle of nowhere. I was surrounded by thousands of acres of woods and fields, trails and lakes. There were wild blueberries and strawberries. There were the songs of wolves and loons. There were northern lights and sunsets wild enough take your breath away. My house was nestled smack dab in the middle of it. In the summer months, every day after work, my friends and I would drive down an old logging road to the Mississippi River. I would dive in and then float downstream, get out and then do it all over again. To me, that is what balance feels like.

To be honest, I need passion. I need to be able to dive in. I also need to be able to float, get out, and then do it all over again.

I will not be floating down any rivers today. After all, it is 25 degrees below zero! And, anyway, I no longer live near that beautiful river. Instead I live in a city that sparkles with ice and snow. Despite today's inability for river floating, I can make myself a cup of chamomile tea. I can email a few long lost friends. I can return a call to my dad. I can send you love. I can give myself some quiet time in the form of yoga and a bubble bath. And, in this way, I will make room for balance.

What about you? What's your relationship with balance?

These letters are part of an ongoing project:
"WORD OF THE DAY :: living life one word at a time."
Today's word is BALANCE. Life is a gift. Remember to treat it well.
See more letters and words at my Patch of Sky Etsy shop, here.

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