Balance

I believe in living a balanced life.  Balance is what I strive for.  I think some people were born to do one thing extremely well and they won't be able to achieve balance because they have this consuming mission.  I also think that there are times in your life when balance is not possible:  When you are working toward a short term goal, have a sick relative, or a crisis.  Balance just isn't possible then either.

BUT I truly believe that most people can achieve balance most of the time and that balance makes a person's life better and more rich.

My main problem with achieving balance is that I love all of the parts of my life and when I get absorbed in one area, I don't want to leave it for another area.  When I am at work, I love what I am doing so much that I will work through lunch or stay late when I don't really need to.  I love working in the shop so much that I will neglect housework and exercise to work in the shop.  I love doing the Children's Ministries work that I do so much that I will neglect work to do it.  And on and on.  

Today at work I had to make myself go home at 4 so that I could get the shop work done that is due and cook dinner before I went to a ballroom dance class.  30 extra minutes at work would have wrecked that plan.  

I also tend to work at whatever I am doing right up to meal time and often end up eating junk instead of balancing work with feeding myself healthy food. 

I realize that I do a lot of stuff and people accuse me of being overbooked.  But I love my life and I want to squeeze all of the fun out of it that I can...and still balance rest, leisure, healthy eating and sleep. 

There is really no point to this post.  I just wanted to talk to myself about the need for balance.

Old Habits

I am a calendar girl.  I love a calendar.  I love marking dates off and writing in appointments.  I love using a calendar to plan multiple events way in advance.  There is so much mathematical peace in a calendar.  There is so much joy in letting a calendar help you plan your activities.  

I am a school teacher.  Not at the moment, but for 22 years.  Teachers fight to get one of the ten calendars that salesmen leave in the front office.  I always made sure that I got one.  You know, those big desk calendars with ample room in each day and lines to write on.  Oh, I love them.  Well, first we came out with spreadsheets and I had to give up my paper grade book.  That was pretty bad.  It took me three years to let it go. Then I got an iPad that had a digital calendar.  I have gotten an office job that takes me all over the school district and the state and I really needed a digital and portable and sync able calendar.  So I put away my paper calendar.  I have a color coded, go anywhere, never need an eraser, digital calendar that dings me when something important is coming up.  

But this afternoon, I grabbed one of those fantastic big desk calendars, ripped off July and I mechanical-penciled in all of my activities for August and September in my best print.  I feel good just knowing that it is sitting there on my desk.  Some things can't be replaced.