Day 24: Balance

40 Days Transformation & Change of Heart

Day 24: Balance

Like this Cairn- sometimes balance is delicate and defies logic.

I spend most of my day trying to get it ALL done. And I don't even work full time. How do we balance the have to's and the want to's? This is something I've struggled with my adult life especially as a mother, wife, grandma, daughter and house owner, then add on top of that teacher, church member, talents, friends, exercise time, blogs, emails, skiing, Christmas shopping and sleep. 

I remember teaching my children with a mason jar of rocks and sand - if they put the big rocks in first the sand will fit in around it better. Whereas, if they put the sand in first the big rocks don't fit in the jar. the lesson of the jar of rocks and sand is;

the rocks are the things that matter most: Family, God, Education, Work the 'have to's' ... the sand is the "fillers" like  friends, hobbies, free time- the 'want to's'

Get the Big rocks in first and the others either fall away or some how magically fit in. 

I know it works- I've experimented on it. 

Then I loose my balance and the big rocks seem bigger and the sand is over spilling, and maybe the jar might even crack. 

In yoga I tell my class in order to do the balance poses- you have to simplify- drop the brain and simply focus on the breath. 

we can be really hard and critical of ourselves when we can't strike that perfect balance. How about we try for simply doing the best we can instead, and let go of having to be it all and do it all.

I'm not advocating idleness- just the opposite- get moving the big rocks in place first. I get distracted by the sand and want to play in it. 

Joy will come when you find a balance

Dropping the brain is letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth and the weight of needing to be Perfect. There is no perfect balance- there is movement and correction in balance.

Focusing on the Breath is remembering the Relationships, Experiences & Memories, and Knowledge & Testimony are all we take with us-so they are the Breath of Life.

Easy- never.

What Big Rocks can you focus on today?

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?   Isaiah 40:12