(Jean showed off some of her Halloween decorations and I thought, Scooby Dooby Do! Why not post my front door display to show how I'm restoring the balance in my life.)
Balance is a juggling act, one that entails dropping one thing for another, without upsetting the balance of the whole. You cannot have Ying without Yang, Abbott without Costello, or happiness without pain.
According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase And Fable, A Treasury of Words That Have a Tale to Tell, by E. Cobham Brewer, Balance symbolizes 'the ancient zodiacal "Libra" constellation between Scorpio and Virgo. It's the 7th sign of the zodiac, which now contains the constellation Virgo, and which the sun enters a few days before the autumnal equinox.'
There's nothing like lunch with a friend that includes a pumpkin cookie to restore balance to the soul! Ah, balance. Heavenly day!
And in keeping with Persian mythology, balance comes at 'the Last Day. It will be a huge balance, as big as the vault of heaven, displayed. One scale pan will be called light, the other darkness. In the former, all good will be placed, in the latter, evil, and everyone will receive his award according to the verdict of balance.'
Managing time becomes critical when life is out of balance. I learned this best while experiencing severe headaches and neck pain the past two years. Now 9 weeks post-neck surgery I'm beginning to feel myself again. My love for homemaking and crafting is returning fullforce. Laughter comes easily. I'm feeling the urge to bake, create, and explore. More importantly, the clearer my mind gets, I'm rediscovering my passion for writing.
Check out this cornucopia I made to sit on top of a quilted leaf runner. Perfect balance, isn't it?
And as with any of these, skill is a practiced art that must be utilized or lost. Upsetting that balance, upsets the whole, body, mind, and spirit.
Did you sign up for NaNoWriMo, which started November 1st? The month long accountability process can be an excellent way to regain balance and structure in a writer's life. Ultimately, I didn't sign up for this 50,000 word-in-a-month challenge, but instead have concocted one of my own to squeeze out time needed to create a balance between life and writing.
What do you do to keep your life in balance?
