Discovering Balance

“The Board wants to sell more electricity, however we want to teach conservation also,” said a Board member of a rural electric cooperative in upstate New York. When listening to his statement I could only shake my head in agreement. The common conundrum of finding a balance between too little and too much is so thin in many aspects of daily life. I ask myself, How do I heat my home without exploiting the environment? How much time do I spend with my husband to keep our marriage strong yet not become dependent on one another? How do I purchase an item without becoming a consumer for clutter? How do I eat healthy without making food the major topic of thought and conversation?

I’ve spent years wobbling to keep balanced. Not only did I seek a balance within family, making sure I loved everyone equally yet uniquely, but I also worked hard to have balance between family, religion, economy, and my social life.

Every day, I’d weigh my options. If I needed to let go of something because it was throwing me off kilter, I would let go. The letting go only felt weird for a short period of time, for example, when I deleted my account on Facebook. But, my mind was better able to focus on a new direction in life without compromising my attention to health and wellbeing. And, I can always rejoin Facebook.

But one day, I realized there was a better approach to finding a balance in life. Living a balanced life is not so arduous. As I simply nurture spiritual attributes, balance inevitably comes about. I don’t necessarily have to hunt and peck for a balance in my relationships, body weight, or economic situation if I am honestly increasing in my practice of trustworthiness, spiritual courage, receptivity, and so on.

As I am receptive to Life, Truth, and Love, balance is a natural consequence.

I still balance my checkbook and know what a balanced diet is however I see these actions are the result of an attitude that puts its weight on the side of Truth. In all truthfulness, I do know when to help a neighbor, when to stop eating or buying things, when to exercise, and when to be quiet, the trick is following through on the honesty.

Ironically, being imbalanced produces a hyped up attitude—addictive to human beings. They feel alive when everything in life is disturbed, unfair, or unbalanced. But the day comes when balance is searched for. And, it can be discovered as in place, the key is Life, Truth, and Love. Spirituality may appear boring or obscure at first but that is only because imbalance was accepted as normal for so long. But, a balanced, stable, steady family, economy, and purpose are alive and well—open to entrance.