Hi Friends! How was your weekend?
How funny is that picture by the way? It is not every day you see goats balancing on a pipe, or whatever that thing is.
This year another thing I am working on is making a big effort to enjoy both my online time and my offline time. They are both super important to me. Being able to come here and share everything from simple days and family life, to deeper thoughts and emotions means the world to me. I truly cherish it.
Also, I have come to realize that the time I unplug and live a simpler day is also very important. The time away fuels my creativity and rejuvenates me. It gives me time to slow down, and really enjoy my family. My favorite days are the ones when my husband is home with us and we are all together! Those are the best days to unplug and enjoy the company of the amazing people I am so fortunate to share my life with.
To me balance is nothing more than doing what feels right to you personally. Basically there is no one formula or fit-all for balance. No one can tell another person what balance is for them. I think there are as many formulas for it as there are people. Add in the fact that I think the right balance for an individual is ever evolving and changing through different stages of their life, and even different days depending on what you need that day. You get an infinite number of combinations.
Many people don’t believe in balance and I certainly understand that point of view. For some achieving balance is similar to saying you can be superwoman and do and have it all. For me personally, I really do believe in balance and I think it is just because my definition of it is different. Balance is achieved when things feel right to me, and I am fortunate to have great moments of balance sometimes. They really are the most peaceful times, and they do not happen all the time. If they did I don’t know if I would keep growing as a person. The more I stay open and attuned to my feelings, the more I achieve balance.
On the other hand, I have had many, many times where I felt anything but balanced and in my gut knew something was off. Taking actions to make life balanced again can be really hard. I think sometimes it takes me a long time to follow through because it seems easier not too. There are times when it can even be scary and requires you to be really brave. Especially when what is right for you means going against the grain.
It is usually easy for me to know when something feels out of whack. I’ve gotten pretty in touch with listening to my heart. The hard part for me, and where I struggle the most is actually doing something about it. Life doesn’t wait, it is right now! That is what I remind myself of when I am dragging my feet about changing something that feels out of balance.
When I have too much time online I feel a pull and need to unplug. And when I spend too much time offline…well that hasn’t happened yet! With my phone and portable computer and all the other gadgets it is so easy to get sucked in. Currently I try to spend a lot of time unplugged from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. There are a few times I go on and possibly check my email and Facebook, but I like for Saturday to be pretty much a full day off.
I have justified plugging back in to myself many times by saying that I’ll have too many emails or too much to deal with, and that is when I give myself a good shake and say “Who Cares!” Now I cherish my offline time just like I cherish my online time, and really get excited about both. Doing both makes me love my life more.
Do you believe in balance? Why or why not? I love to read your thoughts! Do you enjoy unplugging or does it make you feel overwhelmed if you do?
