Balance

Back to my circus past. One of my favorite juggling toys is the rola bola, or balance board. It's a pretty simple piece, a board about 12 inches by 36 inches which you lay on top of a cylinder. The object is to stand on it and balance over the cylinder. Here is a picture of one. One foot stands on each end of the board over the cylinder. If you put too much of your weight into one foot, or lean too far in one direction, you quickly come crashing down. Think of a seesaw when a child gets off the low end while their seesaw partner is still on the high end. Ouch!

For all of you who responded to my blog about doing too much, be careful what you wish for. I found myself wanting to be sick to cancel things, and Marina decided to do it for me. Yep, she's sick. She started running a fever on Sunday and yesterday she got laryngitis. This should make things interesting for the Confirmation test tonight, since she has to recite her prayers.

I want to clarify that I blame no one but myself for our recent rash of busy-ness. Some have been apologetic (you know who you are!) It's so hard to say no when it's an activity I know the kids and I will enjoy. I also know I tend to cut back on my own activities before I touch the kids' schedules. So yoga was sidelined last week as I rushed about to lessons and hiking and visiting. This is a bad habit of mine. I firmly believe that as parents we must take care of ourselves first, so that we can take care of our family.

Anyway, an observation was made that I enjoyed myself at one of the recent events. Well of course I did! I enjoy most activities that I agree to do! Why else would I say yes? I enjoy talking with my friends while my children have playtime, visiting with extended family, etc. I would also enjoy spending a day eating cake, ice cream and cookies, but that doesn't mean I won't suffer the consequences of an upset stomach and weight gain. All things are good in moderation, it's when we overdo things, even the good things, that we suffer for the excesses.

Balance is the key. Activities are good, but they need to be balanced with some rest and relaxation. Even only one day a week (we're talking weekdays, weekends are a separate matter) with no obligation to get in the car helps me recharge my batteries and helps me make it to the weekend without crashing down.

I'm back in my groove. Balance.