Balancing Act

Balancing Act

How to stay centered and focused and steadily put one foot in front of the other.

By Linda Commito

Do you sometimes feel like your life is a balancing act as you try to find that middle ground and keep yourself upright? Yesterday, I watched the ease with which a giant osprey landed on the tiniest broken branch of a tree that will likely not make it through the next hurricane. There he had the proverbial “bird’s eye view”—able to keep watch for his prey or to call for a mate, all while deciding his next direction. It makes me wonder how the birds and animals find such ease while we humans often struggle to find balance. In my life, it’s been the times that I have been over-thinking, over-committed, excessively worrying, and doing way too much that throw me off kilter. And when I don’t get that message, I get a wake-up call! Stress has always been the signal for me to pay attention, but sometimes, like the Aries ram, it takes a whack to the head for me to get it. I remember the time when I was so stressed about the 10year anniversary of my business, spending excessive hours preparing for a major gift show, that I decided to squeeze in a quick massage to just relax. After the massage, I quickly jumped off the massage table and ran right into the corner of a wall, giving myself a mild concussion. Ouch! Learning when to quit or to stop has never been my strong point. And there is no one that has pushed me more than I have pushed myself. One day, I had gone for a hike to relax, but later hauled boxes and groceries to a cabin to open it for the summer season. Working nonstop, I glanced at the clock at 9:20 pm. and noticed it had stopped. Of course, I had to fix it right then! As I stood balancing on a wicker chair, suddenly, I went one way while the chair flipped the other. Crack! Lying on the floor, I felt a collar bone protruding. I thought about going to bed, but was a little concerned that I wouldn’t wake up. I called Rhonda, my neighbor, who kindly drove me down dark, mountain roads to the nearest emergency room, waiting ‘til midnight to learn that I had indeed broken my collar bone. Life has an interesting way of imparting valuable lessons and, fortunately, if we live long enough, we actually learn some of them. I have learned through illness, loss, and a pandemic that nothing is worth losing your health or peace of mind over—if you can help it. I understand that it’s not so much what happens to us, but how we deal with it, how we talk to ourselves that makes a difference and helps us to find the balance and grace that we need to weather through. We don’t have to be a circus performer to find balance. We just have to stay centered and focused and steadily put one foot in front of the other. What has helped me to have balance has been a positive attitude and a lot of gratitude. And prayers, meditation, a healthy diet, yoga, lots of fresh air, and the love and support of family, friends, community, as well as the kindness of caring strangers, make all the difference. May you find and create the balance in your life that will bring you peace and joy.

Love is the New Currency

with Linda Commito

Linda Commito, author, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant and teacher, is passionate about her vision to leave this world a kinder, more loving, and interconnected place. Linda’s award-winning book of inspirational stories, Love Is the New Currency, demonstrates how we can each make an extraordinary difference in the lives of others through simple acts of love and kindness. Her latest project, the card game Just Ask 1 2 3, was inspired by a desire to connect people of all different ages, beliefs and lifestyles to share our individuality and find commonality. Linda also created “Kindness Starts with Me,” a program, book and website for children. For more information visit http://www.LoveistheNewCurrency.com or visit the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/Justask123game.