Photo: Michael B. Smith “Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.” Buddha
As I am about to turn 70 years old, I’d like to give my thoughts on what is important in life. As the author of a blog entitled “Helping Fathers to be Dads”, you may think I’m going to say ‘family’. Well, I could certainly go with that, but there is something higher that includes family. That something is balance!
Some think of balance as a static thing, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You can be a potato chip eating, beer chuggin’ mass of humanity in an easy-chair and you will be in some balance. But not really. A healthy balance has a spectrum that changes continuously. Now there is an essential aspect of static balance as you swing from one thing to the next. That could be rest, reflection, or observation, but you won’t have much of a life spending too much time there.
I’ll start with ‘family’. I love my family more than anything! I spend my happiest times with my family and some of my toughest because our emotions are so closely tied to what is going on in their lives. Balance requires you to get away from your family on occasion. A lonely hike in the woods or reading a book in a café is a perfect balance to vacationing with family. On the other hand, I’ll spend two or three days alone at my farmhouse and be full of anxiety to see my wife, kids and grandkids. Balance!
Living in the Midwest, we aren’t known for beautiful weather days on end, but I find we appreciate 75 degrees and blue skies more than most living in San Diego. It’s ’balance’ that does that for us. Winter makes Spring glorious! Summer makes Autumn so refreshing. I love sunshine! But if I get two weeks of sunshine, a rain shower is most welcomed. Three days of clouds and I’m screaming for the sun. Not everyone will agree with me on this. That’s because everyone’s balance is different – but balance is essential for everyone.
Habits are the enemy of balance keeping us from new places and experiences. I have known people who are such exercise freaks; they go crazy if a commitment may interfere with their weightlifting or Zumba routine. Smoking, excessive drinking, video game addiction, or any addiction will throw you in a state of imbalance. Drugs are an extreme example of a habit that throws any balance in life out the window.
Nature is an expert in balance, always managing to find its way back towards stability. Often this balancing act is difficult to recognize because nature’s clock has a much slower tick than we humans do. Droughts, floods, and earthquakes are all transitions back to balance. There is no doubt that nature is always seeking balance - and without regard to the human race.
Balance in Dadhood
I wrote an article for the ‘National Fatherhood Initiative’ in December 2013 called “The Seven BEs of a Successful Dad”. One of the ‘BE’s was BALANCE, suggesting the other six “BE’s must have balance with each other and within each to be effective. I invite you to read or reread this article if you are a dad or a mom!
‘Be involved but not too involved. Be principled, but don’t be preachy. Be consistent but not inflexible. Be loving, but don’t be a pushover. Be fun but be respected. Know your own limits. You cannot be consistent if you don’t have principles. You can’t be loving or fun if you are not involved.’
What will take you out of balance?
I’ve noticed some things which I have allowed to get me out of balance. Those include:
- Being misunderstood or not understanding others
- Not getting time to myself when I need it or being alone too long
- Placing too much attention on others or placing too much time on myself
- Too much work or too much play
- Being rushed or having to wait
- Needing control or being controlled
- Challenging myself too much or feeling like I’m wasting opportunities
- Lastly, being around other people who are, themselves, out of balance
What I notice is all of those things are in my control, the extremes and everything in the middle. Sure, others contribute, but I am are the only one that can fix me (perhaps with a little therapy).
Summary
In my mind, balance in life is moving away from something towards its opposite when that something no longer feels right or is no longer satisfying. Some things you can control and somethings you can’t control. Accept them.
And remember the Serenity Prayer!
