Talk about BaLaNaCe

When I was in  high school, a very long time ago, I loved P.E. I took it four years in a row, voluntarily. Litigation didn't demand strict enforcement of rules as it does now. We used to run track barefoot and play soccer-barefoot. The bottoms of my feet were, and still are, thick like shoe soles. My toes were sometimes swollen from soccer kicks and hard shins, but shoes were still a no go. It was some kind of Florida rite to passage that I avowed to totally. Bare feet had disadvantages, but they had benefits, too. One of the benefits was the balance beam. I couldn't walk the beam very well in shoes, but I handled it much better barefoot. I could feel my balance and use my soles to keep me on the beam. Even then, I was never a gymnast, but I could walk the beam without falling off. I still find myself walking curbs occasionally. I like that simple challenge. Balance is of the utmost importance, but it seems it's seldom brought to the front of the class or put on stage for examination in our Western culture.

I read something today that spoke of animals as creatures of balance because they accept their "nowness." They follow the needs of the moment and let nature lead. They create balance in nature, when left to their own devices. Man, on the other hand, is always seeking and desiring change. We're wired that way. It's integral to that in us that makes us co-creators of our world, but it can create drives that make us loose balance. Hmmm... I' m not sure where to go with this. It's just a thought, talk about balance, but I know that for seventeen years, I was given a little, black and white dog, Abigail, that became an important part of my balance. She lived to literally stay by my side through motherhood, my father's death, cancer, marital strife, and Mama's death. Abby died two days after Mama. I knew Mama and Abby would die together because I saw them meet Daddy in a dream I had in the fall before their spring deaths. Abigail lived seventeen years, which was always my favorite number. Some things are just too coincidental to be an accident. That small animal created balance in my life.

I don't have another dog, yet, but I watch my daughter's dog, Beau, when she goes out of town. He's getting old. He's a big, over grown, smelly Rottweiler with bad skin. I love that dog. He's as calm as bath water and so simply adoring. He is the epitome of balance. This morning, early, I went to let him out since Nik was in Jacksonville. It was cold and clear, and he was unusually frisky and almost playful. When I left the house I stopped at the end of the driveway to take a picture of the rising sun...something else that gives me balance. It's time to wrap this up. I have a batch of Amish Friendship Bread coming out of the oven. Here's a final thought. There's a way we can all add balance to this frazzled earth. Live a life of love. Love is balanced.

So that no one can criticize you, live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Philippians 2:15

Peace.                                                          Balance.

Love, Linda