Balance

Tired all day, she tossed and turned all night with visions of chaos bombarding her mind like missiles from a warship. She couldn’t see any light at the end of a tunnel, nor could she understand that a sunrise symbolized a bright new day.

Her eyelids heavy as if filled with lead again, she blinked them closed once more and then struggled to open them. Slowly she drifted away, taking on the world around her alone in the darkness.

A heaviness had settled on her, and she couldn’t see her family offer a helping hand nor hear her friends’ words of encouragement. Slowly she began to realize recovery is not for people who need it but for people who want it. A quote she could relate to came to mind. “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink.” Deep down she wanted to “drink the water,” or see the sunrise. She yearned to see a light in the dark tunnel, but engulfed in darkness, she couldn’t find her way.

Balance is a game of life. The game she can’t quit, can’t walk away from. It’s where things appear to crash down around her, and she feels each burden, but the weight has been too much. Asking for help or advice would not be easy to do. She was slightly embarrassed, ashamed of her darkness. But most of the time it was already right in front of her, like when she watched her best friend execute yoga poses for the camera, from basic moves to the most difficult as she balanced self-control, mind over matter…a place where Yen meets Yang. She saw the determination, the focus and strength of her friend, then realized balance is somewhere between chaos and life’s craziness. Both photographer and subject performed with great concentration, their stability unwavering, flexing their bodies and their minds flowing with creativity from one moment to the next.

A spark hit her, and the light she needed to move from the darkness unfolded before her. Life is a balance of holding on and letting go. She was reaching toward an unattainable goal of perfection. Now as clear and bright as the sunshine from above, in that moment, she felt the meaning of being mindfully present and aware.

You have 365 days a year to start over. Why not now? Put the phone down, be mindful of the beauty of life around you. It starts with baby steps, focusing on your breathing, and clearing your mind. She’d been having a hard time on the smallest of tasks but knew pushing for quick results was unrealistic. It’s a practice of life, knowing that we can’t change the world, but we can change. We can take control of our own lives—one baby step at a time.

Feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays, she struggled to let go of all the voices, lists, and turn of events, but she tried. Then one day she slept. The next morning there was light, and the darkness had faded. She kept focus on this path, because she knew this journey was hers alone and to feel results, she must calm the chaos and sleigh the dragons by stepping over these obstacles and never giving up.

Everyone’s path is different, everyone’s journey is unique. Life is a balance of holding on and letting go, and finding balance is mind over obstacles. She struggles everyday with balance, but now she knows with focus and putting herself first, she will move onward, stronger, one baby step at a time.

If you are looking for a Nutrition and Wellness coach – Kathie can help you get healthy and stronger … one baby step at a time!

Kathie on Instagram: @ignitedwellnessandnutrition