Juggling, roller skating and skateboarding are some activities that come to mind, when I think of the skill of balancing. I can say that those three activities are skills I’ve not achieved. Our boys have juggling balls and I have tried to juggle unsuccessfully. Roller skating has always been a challenge. I have always wished I could maintain my balance at the roller rink, instead of holding onto the edge while the tunes were playing overhead. Our boys also have small skateboards. The thought of them falling as they are balancing, gives some apprehension as I see them trying to maintain balance.

I was successful at was the balance beam along with some gymnastic skills as a child. I recall enjoying the balance beam in gym class when I was in elementary school. We had a gymnastics unit and it was one of the favorite units in gym. As a class, we were able to do parrallel bars, rings, ropes and other challenges. The balance beam was a task I enjoyed. My friends and I would imagine alligators on the floor. We didn’t want to fall into the imaginary alligator pit as we completed the balance beam challenge. Our mantra gave us a challenge to overcome, to become successful at the balance beam task.

With the responsibilities of life, hobbies and work, balance is difficult to strive to maintain. Prioritizing is what I prefer to call managing the day to day. By prioritizing, it makes myself indicate what is important to aim to complete.

Lately, life has been busy with work, writing, and creating. The past couple of years, I have tried to do what I enjoy to re-set when the day to day gets busy. Reading, creating, being in nature, watching a funny tv show and gardening are some of the ways I have been able to pause in the busyness of life.

We have those good days and those more challenging days. As we were sitting down watching tv on a day that was challenging, my oldest son put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Mom, we got you.” My eyes welled with tears and I had a sense of gratitude for my son’s kind spirit. We need those people…friends and family who “got us” when life spins at times.

There will be times when we have to reset and try again on those days that are difficult. At other times, we will have a smooth trot over the day to day things in life. As child, I looked at crossing those obstacles as fun, even exciting. As an adult, when challenges come, we need to have a childlike perspective of getting back and pressing on. May we look for ways to reset when life gets busy. Look for ways to prioritize and to try again as needed. Always be grateful for those in your life who has you or as my son says…”got you.”