Finding Balance

I keep a journal blog thingie on tribe, and this is one segment I wanted to share here, cause it seems to me that it ties into my spinning life in so many different ways.The people who helped are both gorgeous spinners, and I found the book I mention while in Tara with Solas, which was a spectacular day full of amazing trees , ideas, rain and people...

I would love to know others experience with finding their own balance, how they have learned to cope , and better yet, thrive- dance!!!
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I have been thinking about something I read recently in a very beautiful book- Eternal Echoes, by John O'Donohue. Thoughts about burdens. How we survive, and manage to continue on even when we feel that what we have been given to carry is far beyond our strength to do so... He points out that ( metaphorically) perhaps it is not the size or weight of a burden that determines our ability to carry it. That it may be more crucial to consider how we balance our burden; to evaluate and adapt the form we hold and the posture we take in assuming it. Example: You can try carrying something heavy , just one big bucket, say. Awkward, hard to walk. Hits your ankles, twists your back- you suffer from distortion. Yet, double the weight, carry two buckets - but balance it on a even bar, shouldered in such a way that leaves you clear for movement- and suddenly, you are not overwhelmed by your load. The appropriate method of balance frees you to sustain yourself longer, accomplish more, perform the task faster, or simply with greater harmony... juggle

I have, in the last few years, often wondered when I was going to break. How much, before I crack? Death(s), murder, disaster, betrayal, maddness, illness, robbery, tsunami, fire, fights- I felt like I was rapidly getting intimate with all the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! eek

Kept thinking surely I had hit the limit of what I could bear, then was given more. Kept going- though believe me, there were days I did not feel like it. I did at one point make a rather desperate plea for help, and was very blessed to receive it from a good friend( two, really- a beautiful firey french girl stayed til he could arrive). hug

I think it may have saved my life. Sharing the burden- another way of looking at distribution, or balance. One of the true joys we have in life, our friends and community, the support we offer each other, like a dance -lifting and shifting one another to better reach the stars. I am grateful for that .

Some people think it requires strength to carry a heavy burden. I certainly have never seen myself as particularly strong- though there is definately no lack of obstinance, which may come across that way! Upon reflection, I think what has served me well is not strength at all, or stubbornness, but rather, an instinctive emerging awareness of the need for mental, physical, spiritual balance. ( And good friends!) I like the suggestion that what we need to cultivate is just this, balance and flexibility–developing innovative methods of carrying ourselves, and each other, joyfully sharing the entire weight of the world. biggrin

Maybe thats why I like jugglers, spinners, dancers and acrobats so much?

Good night for now,
wishing you love
xoxo
a

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