Inspire, Summer 2006

Inspire 17 In the meantime, I was discovering how unbalanced I was. I had become the dreaded individual who devotes all her time to work and then slowly becomes disconnected from friends, family, and all social activity. I felt like I was living to work and working to live. I would get off work and find it dark outside because of daylight savings time. After cooking, cleaning, and exercising, I found myself preparing for bed. After a while of this, I realized that I had become a total bore. I didn’t know what to do with myself beyond those things that were already expected of “responsible working adults.” During this time, I was associating what I thought balance was with responsibility. Again, I was wrong. Balance is not organization. It is not measured by my ability to complete tasks, and it is definitely not calculated based on my inability to maintain a daily schedule. It isn’t the type of thing that just happens. I believe that in order for individuals to find balance, they must be mindful of their tendencies and then strive to counteract their extremes. Balance is not achieved by saying “no” to that additional ministry. It is not found by minimizing the number of hours that you put in at the office. It is not even based on taking the extra minutes necessary to finish that last chapter in that book that you have been struggling to complete. Finding balance does not mean that you have set everything on a timer and your entire day is planned out with little room for spontaneity. I believe that to find balance is to find time for those things that make you whole. It is found by living in the moment, while simultaneously enjoying your responsibilities. It is found by being fully aware of where you are and what is expected of you in that particular environment, but also being willing to stretch yourself beyond what is typically expected of you. For some, it could be spending an entire day strictly devoting yourself to your family. For others it could be to re-establish your hobbies while discovering a new passion. It could be as simple as completing that book. Or it could be as challenging as devoting more time to God or to a ministry. I believe that balance cannot be universally defined because it is different for each individual. For example, I am a task-oriented person. I am always thinking of the next assignment that I need to complete. So for me, balance means that I need to relax by not only doing things that I need to do, but also by doing things that I enjoy. It means that I am not stressed, worried, or the least bit anxious about the many duties that I must accomplish before dusk. It means that I get the amazing opportunity to talk to my God not because it is another item on my list, but because it is one of the many things that I know makes me whole. It means that I take the time to enjoy life. I take the time to value relationships. I take the time to read interesting books. I take the time to express my thoughts with words. I make it a priority to spend time with family. And I strive to find ways to encourage others. These are things that balance out my obsessions with completing tasks. No, I don’t have it all figured out, and yes, I do struggle with maintaining balance in my life. However, I can honestly say that I feel more refreshed and more at peace with myself when I literally put the planner away and stop to smell the roses. Lydia lives in Columbus, Ohio, where she works for Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. Her e-mail is lydiabaker@alumni.cedarville.edu .