Balance?

It seems that the mantra emanating from many people's mouths these days is "balance". Work/Life balance or Family/Self balance is mostly what people seem to be referring to. So many people are juggling the demands of two-income households, trying to keep current with all the chores, tasks, details, information necessary to make informed and wise decisions, not to mention family time, hobby time, volunteer time, exercise time, social time...the list seems endless! And overwhelming.

There seems to be more pressure than ever now to be successful in the cultural sense, while doing the job of two or three people at work, be exemplary parents, AND also have a balanced life in which we actively enjoy our avocations and hobbies, take superb care of our bodies and spirits, stay informed up to date, and....... Something I've noticed is that a lot of people think balance needs to be a daily practice. While that's a wonderful goal, it's probably a better place to end up rather than as a place to start from.

What if the balance we're looking for in our lives was more like the balance that nutritionists suggest as a diet? For instance, we don't need to eat all the proper numbers of servings from the five food groups each and every day, but if we get a good balance over a week or a month, that's still quite healthy.

Translating that to the bigger picture, that might mean that there are times when we need to work a lot, and other times when we need to take more time off; times when we focus more intently on our hobbies and passions, and other times when they go a bit neglected because there are other current important priorities. There may be times when we take really good care of ourselves, and other times when that slips a bit; times where we devote a lot of attention to our family, and other times when there is less energy and daily time to focus on them.