Balancing Act

I Tivo The Today Show every day & watch it when I go home for lunch &/or when I get home at night.  Today there was a segment with Ann Curry (one of my favorite reporters because of the grace & compassion she shows).  All week the anchors have been answering questions from viewers.  Today was Ann's turn & her question was on balancing work & family.  She started the segment saying that several years ago her doctor had asked what she did to balance her life.  She told him about balancing work & family.  He told her that was not what he meant.  He suggested that everyone needs to find their passion & exercise it thereby finding balance within.  Her passion is photography & she talked about that journey.  Also she mentioned that a person should devote one day a week to their passion, to balancing their life.

How many of us do that ?  Not too many I would imagine.  I know that I don't do so on a regular basis.  When I have been away from complete balance in my life is when I get "antsy", when I feel out of whack with myself, when I feel "stuck", when I get to craving an Adventure.  I know how important it is to be balanced- mentally, emotionally, spiritually, & physically-all working together to keep me "healthy" & not obsessed over one thing or another.  When my life has been out of balance is when I have made some of my worst decisions--acted on an impulse--didn't think it through--went off half-cocked--played to my manic side.  Can't call them mistakes because I have taken away something positive from even the most negative of situations.  There is always a lesson to be learned.

This all got me to thinking about what my true passion is in my life.  What makes me feel the most balanced.  What gives me the greatest pleasure.  I, too, like photography but do not devote alot of time to it even though I take my camera everywhere on weekends & days off.  Sometimes I shoot sometimes I do not.  But I love to work in black & white.  I think that produces the truest images.  Especially in people, buildings, & in some sceneries.   It has to do with light & shadows.

I write, but again not as much as I have in the past.  I really enjoy writing.  Ideas are always swirling around in my head.  I jot things down constantly.  Sometimes the ideas show up here, sometimes it is in the fiction I write (short stories, continuations of my novel, beginnings of a new novel).  Many times I think that I should be writing more about the life lessons I have learned.  I used to speak about those quite often in different venues.  One year I did the Vagina Monologues.  I wrote & presented a piece for the end based on my domestic abuse story.  I really enjoyed working on the films I acted in, I enjoyed theatre when I used to do that in high school & college.  But acting is not my passion even though I find it to be a wonderful creative outlet.

But, if I could just quit my job & do anything I wanted with my life it would be two things:

1. Animal Rescue--I have such a heart for homeless dogs.  All dogs no particular breed, I love em all.  Just wish I had a place big enough to keep more.  This is a passion.
2. Holistic healing--I have always wanted to take a massage course & then become a holistic practitioner.  I would really like to use this in the treatment of addiction & domestic abuse.   This is a dream I wish I had pursued years ago, but now it is more a dream than a passion. 

When I dream my life, I see myself in one of two places (a. Montana or (b. Florida Keys, living a very laid-back lifestyle, surrounded by animals, working for my causes, writing & speaking.   I really think that is where my true talent, shall we say, lies.  I don't want to famous or even rich (but then I wouldn't turn it down if it came my way).  I really just want to use my Journey to help others.  I truly believe that I could fulfill my Destiny in this Life by telling my story, be it spoken or written.  Speaking against intolerance, prejudice,& injustice.  Those things are so prevalent in this world.  That, & doing my small part to stop millions of animals from be euthanized each year.  I think these are truly my passions because both are about stopping pain & suffering.

So, for the short-term, I will continue to write, take care of myself so that I can live a completely balanced life, & change what I need to in order to achieve my dreams.  Today, I have been inspired once more to get back to complete Balance.  No more procrastinating about my Yoga, Pilates, walks, riding my bike, my meditations,  & no more just plopping down in front of the TV each night.  First me, then vegging. 

Thanks, Ann Curry, for being you!!

~~blessed be...