Somehow I managed to finagle a spot in the shade to do my work. I temporarily moved my office to a wrought iron table on a gorgeous patio in the shade of an elm tree. The summer sun and beautiful breeze was just begging for me to immerse myself in nature and get out of the office bubble, if only for an afternoon. I can hear kids playing in the surf from where I sit and birds are singing a symphony for what feels like my ears only.
We get so caught up in the push and pull of life and work, the balance that so many people talk about but few actually achieve. Is there such thing as complete and total balance? Of course not! It’s never all or nothing. No one can be that structured, that precise, that diligent to make sure that each aspect and area of their life receives the appropriate amount of attention. We are human beings, not pie charts. We are living, breathing, fallible beings. Plans are not kept, schedules are broken and somewhere along the line something loses out. What we need to do is make sure that the thing that loses out most often is that which does not bring us pleasure. We need to err on the side of joy. Lean towards the joy, the happiness, the peace and the tranquility. Whatever gives us that nurturing of our soul and mind is what should always win out. Yes, this is difficult, tremendously so, but it is also imperative. I believe summer is a great equalizer. We may not have balance year round. We may spend too many hours in the office and then rush to put dinner on the table, finally squeezing in a television show or a chapter from a good book, if we’re lucky. But summer is a time when things slow down. Lazy days of summer were appropriately named. We need to give in to the beautiful sunshine beckoning to us from our windows and follow our hearts to the sea. We need to listen to the birds and join them in their symphony of joy.
UPDATE: Literally, the minute I finished typing this, a hummingbird landed next to my laptop. Do I need a better sign that I am completely in balance…for the moment?
