Balance

I had bunion surgery on my left foot on January 24th. Because of that, I have to be non-weight bearing for eight weeks. Obviously, I'm off work at this time so it gives me a lot of time to reflect. I had the same surgery on my right foot two years ago. But this time is particularly interesting because I am left side dominant. So I'm more aware of my imbalance when I'm doing things. I keep repeating to myself, "Balance. Stay balanced".

This morning while reminding myself to "stay balanced", it occurred to me that THAT should be my mantra ALL the time. Isn't that what life is all about? We need to balance between physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. We need to balance between work and relaxation. We need to physically balance to just maneuver through our day.

Our bodies give us signals when we're getting out of balance. If we have too much stress, we may experience a headache or we may notice that our muscles are tight or we're clenching our teeth. That's a signal that it's time to do something physical to relieve the stress: jog, swim, garden, walk, or whatever else works for you. If we're relaxing too much, we may feel bored, lethargic. That's our body telling us to DO SOMETHING. Anything. Just get up and move. But, when you've been moving too much, your muscles ache and need a rest. Your body tells you its time to sit and read a book, watch a movie, take a nap or watch TV. And when your body feels an emptiness inside -- a hole that needs filled, a hunger that needs fed, a thirst that needs quenched -- then it's time for spiritual input. That can mean different things to different people. Some will turn to religion. Some will read books or magazines. Some will meditate. Some will just "be" in nature. And some will do a combination of these things. Do what is meaningful to you.

The important thing is to listen to your body and stay balanced. Being out of balance causes dis-ease. So much discomfort and disease could be avoided if we would only take the time to listen to our bodies and act accordingly.

"Balance... stay balanced"

Love, Paula