Balance in life is a tricky thing, mostly because life isn’t static ... it’s dynamic. Things are always changing. If life were static—if we could expect that the way things are now is the way things will always be—balance would be easier. We could get things into the right balance and then they would just ... stay that way. But that’s not reality. So balance is not finding a place of neutrality, but embracing a constant movement between too much and too little.

In life, there are few things that don’t require the constant dance of balance. Communication in relationships requires balance. If you share too much with someone initially, it can destroy your relationships. But if you share too little, you will never build a relationship at all. Balance is key.

Balance is also required when it comes to dealing with pain in our lives. We have to lean into both the pain and the healing at the same time ... they go together. You can’t have one without the other ... and pain can be overwhelming, making it seem as though it is the only thing that matters. You have to walk the journey with the pain in your leg. Your pain is a piece of the puzzle of your life, but it is NOT the only piece. Don’t let your pain be the only thing you see—that will lead you to a life that’s out of balance. 

Your past and your future are connected in a delicate balance, so without acknowledging where you’ve been you will never be able to get where you want to go in the future. But you can’t wallow in the past. And you can’t just assume that in the future everything will be better. You have to do the hard work of balancing a clear understanding of your past and a preferred course for the future. 

I guess, when I think about it, balance is about being comfortable with tension. And that’s not something most of us like. There’s a healthy tension that allows us to hold the pain in one hand and hope in the other, to walk the line of not sharing too much or too little, to understand our past and move beyond it at the same time ... to lean into both the pain and the healing.