Balance is defined as an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. Such a simple definition for something that takes endless push and pull and constant change in our daily life. It’s ALL such a delicate balance. We are constantly striving to stay upright and steady, or at least look like we are! This perfect life balance looks overwhelmingly different for each of us. Deep inside we have a vision of our aspired achievements and relationships. So where does your balance lie and what is pushing you to find it?
As I study the human body and how exercise can affect us, I realize that everything stems from the balance and stability of our kinetic chain. The knee bones connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bones connected to the hip bone, the hip bones connected to the backbone! Each bone is part of a link binding you together like a puzzle. If one piece is missing, or out of whack, then the whole system becomes broken and balance is lost. And so it goes outside those 45 minutes you put in at the barn. Each day we must take stock into what, and who needs our attention the most and strive to do it all without spreading ourselves too thin. Our mind and bodies are connected in such a way that without the strength of both of them we can topple.
From the moment we wake up in the morning until our head hits the pillow at night, we are pushed and pulled in a million different ways so I believe it is crucial for us to find a place that helps us get back on track when we feel shaky and off balance. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30am I arrive at the barn to sweat about it all. This 45 minutes is just for me to regain some of the stability that I have lost during the week and it gives me the clairity I need to head out and be better for all the people who matter so much to me. But the barn also gives to me in a much different way...the chance to teach again. My first passion and profession was as a first grade teacher. I truly loved teaching, but ultimately I decided to stay home with my boys to be sure and not miss one moment of their first years. This brought me such joy and gave me so much balance and steady contentment. My boys are still very young but as they are growing and slowly but surely leaving the nest, I have found little pockets of time that I wasn’t sure how I was going to fill. I needed a new kind of balance. My passion for fitness came full circle when Whit scooped me up and brought me onto the Beau Collective team. I only teach once a week, but you would not believe the new sense of balance this has brought to my life. Whether it’s a little shift or a huge accomplishment, balance can be found in the funniest of places. Look for it and embrace it. Above all look at the people in your life that bring you that balance and joy and pour yourself into them. And while you are patiently waiting and working to feel the balance don’t forget to see the immense JOY in the journey. After all, it takes away just and much as it gives!
-In loving memory of Tom Dundee. A dear friend who brought us so much joy and balance with just his guitar and a bottle of whiskey right in our living room.
It’s all such a delicate balance Takes away just as much as it gives,
To live it is real, to love it is to feel-You’re a part of what everything is -Tom Dundee