Balance

"We need to introduce a little balance into our lives. 

Part of this balance means not missing out 

on some of the marvels of life around you, the fun, 

some excitement, or other challenges in life." 

~ Catherine Pulsifer

Life has been busy.

Or has it?

When it comes to work, family

and other obligations, 

we need to find balance.

But that isn't an easy thing to do.

I struggle with it ... often.

I found this note about balance:

• Nobody forces us to live busy lives. We do it because we want to feel a sense of purpose, commitment, and accomplishment. You may have to maintain a full schedule out of obligation—kids to feed or loans to pay off—but there are a lot of things we could sacrifice if we truly wanted a simpler life.

• If you’ve chosen to do various different things, engage with many people, and strive toward numerous goals, realize a lot will feel out of control at times. The more elements you introduce to your life, the more unpredictable the days will be. Sometimes the uncertainty is both the most exciting and terrifying part. Choose to focus on the former. Why fight the game you’ve chosen to play?

What I keep coming back to is wanting

a simpler life.  As I get older, of course,

things naturally become simpler. 

Kids have their own lives, and my

biggest worry is when and where

to walk Sadie.  But that doesn't mean

I still don't want or need a sense of

purpose and accomplishment as well.

Balance.  So hard to find and define

the line that seems to move every day.

What do you do to stay happy and balanced when life gets busy?

Believe

“You may be the only person left who believes in you, 

but it's enough. 

It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. 

Never give up.” 

― Richelle E. Goodrich

Have you noticed that as we get older

there are fewer people who believe in us?

Somewhere along the line, we have to 

accept what others have taught us, and

have showed us, and believe in ourselves.

I haven't posted much lately as I've been

a little busy focusing on myself, spending

a little more time at the gym, and a little

more time on the things that have meaning

for me.

Finding balance between every day life

and the things that enrich the ordinary things

isn't always easy.  We have to make time 

for the things that are important to us. 

Enjoy for now!  More soon, I hope :)

Juggling

I found this plastic background sheet
in the party section of my local Walmart
and thought hmm, maybe this would work?

But .... it was a disappointing effort,
so I tossed it into the trash --
after one picture for you, of course!

Life has been crazy busy lately,
and i have hired a personal trainer again,
making things even busier!
but in a good way.

a rare mid-week day off gave me
an opportunity to take photos.  Finally.
and also time to think about how life
has been so busy -- too busy to do
the things i really enjoy.
and of course, found a quote to share:

“Juggling and balancing effectively require 

that we make clear, legacy-driven choices 

about what we're trying to keep in the air 

and how we sequence our movements down the beam. 

Because the ultimate grade in life 

is not based on how far and fast we've walked the beam 

or how many things we’ve juggled—

it’s based on how much we've enjoyed the exercise.” 

― Eric C. Sinoway

Dance

 

.....and sometimes you just have to dance 

to the music that's playing.....

Happy Weekend to you!

Solitude

“Women need real moments 

of solitude and self-reflection 

to balance out how much of 

ourselves we give away.”    

- Barbara de Angelis

It's hard to find moments of real solitude. 

How often do we sit down to have a 

moment to ourselves and the phone rings, 

or someone hollers "MOM!" (or Dad, or ..... )  

We need to make time for our self, to schedule 

in our R&R moments, just like every other 

necessity that we pencil into our appointment 

books.  Sometimes it only takes 15 minutes, 

but those few minutes are important to 

decompress, to help with the balance in our lives.

Be Aware

"Be aware of wonder. 

Live a balanced life - 

learn some and think some 

and draw and paint and sing 

and dance and play 

and work every day some."
-Robert Fulgham

A warm January morning here in the
Valley of the Sun - there is nothing
like the feeling of the sun against
bare skin ....

Happiness is not a matter of intensity 

but of balance and order 

and rhythm and harmony. 

-Thomas Merton

It was enough to get me up out of my
chair to do a little dance, play in the
breeze, and create some joy!

Balance

“To live a more balanced life, 

glance at the past, 

live in the present, 

and focus on the future.”
― Todd Stocker

this year my focus is on balance - for me, personally,
i find that i tend to fully immerse myself in one thing
or another, and the rest becomes unbalanced.

Which isn't a bad thing if you're immersed in something
that's worthwhile, and not such a good thing if your
focus becomes on your job, or a bad habit,
and the rest of life sits by the wayside.....

 Next to love, 

balance is 

the most important thing. 

-John Wooden

i pondered posting this at all as its not aesthetically a
pleasing photo, but its more to the truth, my own
reality.  To be honest, though, a year ago i couldn't
balance on one foot to save my life... thank goodness
for good trainers and old fashioned hard work.

May you always find balance in your life --
i know i'll be working on that in mine.... Happy 2014!