One Big Balancing Act

Last night, before drifting to sleep, I had the most overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was sandwiched between our dogs, and I think Dan was somewhere in the mix too, but who can really be sure. The comforter provided the perfect amount of warmth in response to the cool room and some syndicated TV show played in the background. Most likely, ‘King of Queens’ knowing us. And in that moment, I thought, this is what I live for. It probably wasn’t long after that that Nola stiff armed me in the side, Kiah jumped off the bed to go outside, Dan turned to ‘Cheaters’ and I became too hot with the blankets all around me, but it didn’t matter, because I had experienced my rarity of truly living in and appreciating the present moment.

It is in the moments that I am fully present that I become aware of my all too often tendency to rush through life, to look at what is next, to cross one item off the to-do-list and quickly consider what else can be accomplished, without ever looking up from the list. And while productivity in and of itself is in no way bad, I know that it cannot be the sole driving force in my life.

I guess my conclusion, if I really even have one, is that life is one big balancing act of aiming to achieve while also appreciating what is, at this very moment.

“How you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson. In the end, it all comes down to one word. Grace. It’s how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.” – Philosophy ‘Amazing Grace’ eau de parfum spray.

Yeah, that’s right. I just quoted a perfume bottle.

Fill in the blank – Life is…..

And by, the way, it is my sister’s birthday today. And I dedicate this post to her, an amazing woman who somehow manages to gracefully balance it all.