I had never heard of these before, but this is what the website says about them:
"Each lokai is infused with elements from the highest and lowest points on Earth. The bracelet’s white bead carries water from Mt. Everest, and its black bead contains mud from the Dead Sea. These extreme elements are a reminder to the wearer to live a balanced life – staying humble during life’s peaks and hopeful during its lows."
(There's more to the story and you can read about it on the Lokai website.)
Balance. I'm not sure if I ever knew what it felt like to be truly balanced, but, if I ever did, I have certainly forgotten the sensation. Nowadays, it seems that balance is an almost ridiculous aspiration.
We all have countless demands pulling us in so many different directions. We have our kids, our spouses, our jobs, our volunteer obligations. We have homes that need to be cleaned, finances to be figured out, and errands that must be run. We read over and over that "you have to care for yourself before you can care for others," so we guilt ourselves into taking a break. Then, we feel guilty because, while we are taking a break, we aren't spending quality time with our kids or our spouses or doing all of the things that need to crossed off the endless to do list. It is an endless and vicious cycle.
I have always thought of balance as being this sense of stillness and peace; that if I could find that elusive harmony, I would breathe an enormous sigh of relief. Then, as I was pondering this post, I came across this quote:
It occurred to me that, perhaps, balance actually isn't at all about stillness and peace. Maybe it's about continuing to move forward without "falling off." For example, picture a tight rope walker high above the circus floor. As he makes his way across the rope, it is actually the lack of motion that can be detrimental to his balance. In order to keep from falling, he is continually moving, making minor adjustments. He holds his pole and leans ever so slightly left, then right, then back to the left again in order to keep himself from plummeting to the net below.
The same is true of a surfer who waits for the perfect wave, hops atop his board, bends his knees, and spreads his arms to the side. He leans just a bit forward or backward, side to side, hoping he can stay upright all the way to the shore.
What about a spinning top? As long as the speed of the spin is uninterrupted, the top continues to whirl though it may wobble just a bit. But, if something compromises the speed; if the tops slows down, that's when it crashes.
Maybe balance isn't all about stillness and peace after all.
In our lives, we have so many responsibilities that pull us in different directions, just like gravity tugs on the tight rope walker, the surfer, and the toy top. We are constantly adjusting our motion to keep ourselves from falling - from failing. We focus on our children until work calls and we began to move in that direction. Then, our spouse needs some time and we move in yet another path. The house is a mess so we let it pull us down that street for a while. We are exhausted, so someone pushes us along yet another avenue toward taking some time for ourselves. Part of the roadmap might include a trail that leads to somewhere calm and quiet, but it is probably not a one way lane. Eventually, we will turn around yet again and head somewhere else.
It's constant. Reevaluate. Adapt. Change direction. Keep moving. Don't fall.
Maybe Einstein was right. Maybe balance is not found in stillness but in motion - the moving, the adjusting, the embracing of all the things that keep us going emotionally, creatively, spiritually, intellectually. Perhaps it isn't really calm at all. We are all walking the tightrope of life and maybe the balance we are so desperately seeking has been right in front of us all along.
What do you think? What does "balance" mean to you?
I have always thought of balance as being this sense of stillness and peace; that if I could find that elusive harmony, I would breathe an enormous sigh of relief. Then, as I was pondering this post, I came across this quote:
It occurred to me that, perhaps, balance actually isn't at all about stillness and peace. Maybe it's about continuing to move forward without "falling off." For example, picture a tight rope walker high above the circus floor. As he makes his way across the rope, it is actually the lack of motion that can be detrimental to his balance. In order to keep from falling, he is continually moving, making minor adjustments. He holds his pole and leans ever so slightly left, then right, then back to the left again in order to keep himself from plummeting to the net below.
The same is true of a surfer who waits for the perfect wave, hops atop his board, bends his knees, and spreads his arms to the side. He leans just a bit forward or backward, side to side, hoping he can stay upright all the way to the shore.
What about a spinning top? As long as the speed of the spin is uninterrupted, the top continues to whirl though it may wobble just a bit. But, if something compromises the speed; if the tops slows down, that's when it crashes.
Maybe balance isn't all about stillness and peace after all.
In our lives, we have so many responsibilities that pull us in different directions, just like gravity tugs on the tight rope walker, the surfer, and the toy top. We are constantly adjusting our motion to keep ourselves from falling - from failing. We focus on our children until work calls and we began to move in that direction. Then, our spouse needs some time and we move in yet another path. The house is a mess so we let it pull us down that street for a while. We are exhausted, so someone pushes us along yet another avenue toward taking some time for ourselves. Part of the roadmap might include a trail that leads to somewhere calm and quiet, but it is probably not a one way lane. Eventually, we will turn around yet again and head somewhere else.
It's constant. Reevaluate. Adapt. Change direction. Keep moving. Don't fall.
Maybe Einstein was right. Maybe balance is not found in stillness but in motion - the moving, the adjusting, the embracing of all the things that keep us going emotionally, creatively, spiritually, intellectually. Perhaps it isn't really calm at all. We are all walking the tightrope of life and maybe the balance we are so desperately seeking has been right in front of us all along.
What do you think? What does "balance" mean to you?
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This post was part of the One Word Blog Linkup hosted by, Janine of Confessions of a Mommyholic, Marica of Blogitudes, and me! This week, the word prompt choices were Forgotten and Ridiculous. If you would like to join the linkup you can find more information HERE, sign up for weekly emails HERE, and/or join our Facebook group HERE. Every Friday, two prompts are emailed. Choose one and write a post using that word as inspiration. Linkup up any time between 6:00am EST on Wednesday-9:00pm EST on Thursdays on any of the host sites.
