The Balance of Life or It's Scary Up Here

We hear a lot these days about getting our lives balanced.
Balancing time, energy and money between all the things we each need to accomplish, daily, weekly…..
When I visualize balance, two pictures come to my mind.
First is a tightrope walker, perilously inching from one skyscraper to another.
Now my wife will attest to the fact that any home projects requiring the use of more than a, two step, stepladder, will be performed by someone other than me. I’m just not good with heights. So this first example leaves me uncomfortable. It also appears to be a strenuous task, one requiring physical skill, strength and extreme concentration: Wiggling, leaning, shaking… whew….definitely not my deal.
The second image is of Lady Justice, scales perfectly balanced. A much more serene feeling is enjoyed with this visual. What I notice however is that nothing is happening, no movement in either direction, therefore no growth.
Using these examples and many things I have read, I personally have replaced the word balance with harmony.
It seems to me that a vigil to keep our lives in balance will result in a life time of hard work and juggling each area: physical, financial, spiritual, emotional and relationships. How long can we keep all these in the air?
My life has never been balanced, at least not for any length of time. Has yours? There are times when major attention is placed on a work project, in a time of illness our focus is on healing and the other areas take a back burner. Use your own example, but you get my thought.
There are going to be times when it is critical that we be out of balance. Sometimes we need to step off the wire and lay down some of our juggling act. And I believe that is ok, if we are in harmony! Isn’t that a beautiful word? Harmony is an effect produced when different things come together without clashing, different things, yet they are in accord and agreement.
When the orchestra plays, it is the harmony of all the instruments that moves us.
Perhaps the horns take the lead, loud and proud, next the strings forte`. Can you hear the violins? Then the timpani drums crescendo carrying us to heights we had not dreamed possible! Our hearts racing, our beings filled with emotions…we simply can’t find words to express.
What if all they played were booming base notes, or the same notes again and again? That would get old rather quickly I would imagine. If each section played with equal intensity, if there were no variations, where would that leave our emotions? I can’t feature being moved to tears or leaping to my feet in ovation. It is in the harmony, the complimentary modification in rhythm, tune and key, that we find fulfillment, joy, peace, life.
Which sounds best to you? Do you want to spend your days juggling, struggling to balance ‘on the wire’, or to embrace a harmonic arrangement of life?
So what do you think?
Have I made a good case?
Personally…..
I’m calling someone to clean the gutters and I’m going to the concert.
Want to come along? There is room on the front row.