Balance

Finding balance in my life is always a challenge. Living here provides it in so many ways - being in tune with Mother Nature, eating with the seasons, the tight knit community of a small town - but there are always so many things that need attention. Sometimes it's difficult to put everything in perspective or feel like I'm in control. My friend Nancy says its an on going process... we keep getting better at, but we have to keep reminding ourselves to see the simple beauty in our days and give up trying to control what is not ours to control.

Kate and I were talking the other day about the ongoing list of what needs to be done this time of year - weeds we need to get under control, mowing, planting, projects that need to be started and finished, more planting and we still need to run our businesses and our lives. I wondered if we'd always be like this. She said yes, and we better get used to it. And she's right. Farming runs at an incredible pace for many months in a row. It's not going to slow down and there's no use thinking it will or that you'll somehow magically have it under control.

On the good days I work thru the list, find time to enjoy a walk with the dogs, watch a beautiful sunset or admire the color of the tulips, do something for myself and leave what's undone for the next day. On the not-so-good days, my brain spins with what needs to be done and I feel as though it never will be. Thankfully, there are more of the good days and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to live this life. I'm not sure I'll ever achieve the perfect balance, but I'll always be able to find a simple joy in every day and I'm determined to make the most of the life I'm living here.

We are not sent into this world to do anything into which we cannot put our hearts. - John Ruskin