Even now, during a week that I do not have any work scheduled, I need time to refresh and rebalance physically and mentally. Truth be told, I got out of the house early yesterday morning due to a fly buzzing back n forth. Intending to blog for a little bit, I was distracted, and that led to thinking of tasks that needed to be done: (1) Hang a new bathroom light over the sink (the old one is more than a decade of rust and dust); (2) Put some AC recharge gas into my little Ford (it has been running without AC in the summer for at least 2 years); (3) Get some ceramic pots for a couple plants on the patio.
I did not have any deadline to get these things done – the benefits of “semi-retirement” – but decades of working on a tight schedule still throws my life balance a fastball every so often. I was not distracted for long. My wife reminded me that we were supposed to take a walk at the lake this morning. Perhaps, she said she would go for a walk so she could get her tasks done. I got moving. However, there was a walk “to-do” before our walk. In spite of dogs having a routine for the time they get fed and the time they get a walk, they gave me a little grace for puttering around. For the last couple of years, Dexter and Comet recognize when we have not dashed out the door by 6:30AM, it is not a work day.
Back from the walk with Comet and Dexter, my wife and I spent another hour walking around the Santee Lakes park. I am able to spend some time blogging again. It seems ironic that one of the tasks I completed the other day was getting tires on my wife’s car rotated and rebalanced. Since we have been reading “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by Mark Comer, we have been more mindful about taking life down a notch. It might well be called “How to Rebalance Your Life”, particularly for those balancing spiritual values and the non-stop world we live in. Just as important as periodic maintenance to keep our SUV running as best it can. Rebalancing is as good for the animate as well as the inanimate.
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.
Thomas Merton
It's a Dog's Life 