It's A Balancing Act

 Do you ever feel like a juggler? Do you ever feel like you have a lot going on and don't know how it will all get managed and taken care? Well, if you have answered yes to one or both questions, you are not alone! I feel like a juggler a lot of times! Now, I do not know how to physically juggle items, but I'm sure those who do will tell you that it took a lot of practice and they dropped the items many times. In life, we may feel like we're juggling a lot, and we've definitely dropped some things along the way. The truth is, all of us have many roles in life. We have roles in our family, career, community, and church. Not only do we have a lot of roles to fulfill, but we also have to make sure we're taking care of ourselves well. In the midst of looking out for everyone else, we have to look out for ourselves. Our overall health (physical, spiritual, and mental) is important 💜. It's working on finding balance in all areas of life 🙏. Lately, I have been talking about balance a lot with my friends and coworkers. When we look at the definition of balance, we see it means an even distribution of weight allowing someone or something to remain upright and steady. It also means a condition in which different elements are equal. In looking at a balancing act, it's when we try to give equal amounts of attention and importance to situations. That can be hard! Here's where we play an active role with God's help 🙏. We have to decide what our priorities are and how much time we spend on each one. We know we have to work, go to school/college, or both for some. We need to do our best while there. Our best may look different every day and that's okay. We have to take care of our living spaces. We should do our best to have it look clean and be an inviting atmosphere 💜. For those who have children, you know you have to spend time with them and make sure they have what they need. As a teacher, I can see the positive difference it makes when parents spend time with their children and stay involved in their lives😊. For those who serve in the church and community, we know the importance of giving your best with those you work alongside. In all areas of our life, we should be pleasing God (Colossians 3:17, 23). Somewhere in all of the work, school/college, church and community happenings, we have to take time for ourselves 💜. It can't be all about work, work, work and being on the go 24/7. At some point, we get exhausted (I can relate as I'm sure you can!), and we need to slow down and rest. We are only one person and can only do so much. We will make mistakes. We have to be kind to ourselves when this happens. Learn from them and try our best not to do it again 🙏. This past week for me has been exhausting and busy in ways, especially near the end. I'm so glad for the bright spots and times I took out for me though. I did make a huge mistake this week in that I did not get my exercise walk in like I should have. I started the week off good, but the middle got off! I know that was not me and that's why my body was feeling it. Intentional, consistent exercise does make a difference. In all that I juggle, one of the things that helps me stay balanced is exercise. For me, that's my walking outside or walking workouts. It helps clear my mind, gets me fresh air, and gets me moving. That's okay- I'm grateful for fresh starts! Another thing I do is I watch movies and old TV shows on Tubi 😊. My favorite TV show to watch right now is Amen! It aired in the late 80's to early 90's. If you have never watched it, I highly recommended to check out an episode. It will have you laughing  and you will want to watch more than one episode😁!! It always gives me laughs, especially after a long day. I also read every day for at least 10-15 minutes. I read my Bible, but also include a fiction or nonfiction choice. It's usually easy to fit this balance in because my students read their own book every day in my class for at least 15 minutes. While they read, I read my book💜. It's important they see me modeling the reading. Sure, I could be doing something else, but I choose to read. Now on the days we don't read (Friday at times), I'm on my own to fitting it in. Most days, I am intentional about getting it in. However, yesterday, that did not happen and it was my fault. I did not have an equal balance of work and spent way TOO  much on that instead of stopping sooner. Then, I was too tired to focus on reading because I want to be alert, of course. I did get my walk in yesterday- one win that I was thankful for 💜. I'll learn from yesterday's mistake and be more mindful to stop sooner. I'm also grateful for a new day! I am happy to report that I have already read today and will read more later 😊. Then, there's the steady cleaning of spaces in the house, which is making progress. One room in the house, in particular, is starting to be cleaned out more. It's considered the office/computer room, but it has been the "catch all" room. When we didn't know where to put things, it ended up there. I'm more mindful not to just put stuff in it. My brother and I have worked on it and it's been upward progress. Along with self-care I mentioned earlier, find time to spend time with others and God 🙏. This past week, I was able to help one of my friends pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child 💖. It was fun and felt good in the midst of a busy week to help and spend time with one of my people. Today, I want to remind you that everything will not get done overnight, but I want to encourage you to do the best you can every day. It's important to balance what life brings carefully.  God wants to help us balance and will help us every day. I find timers to be helpful (at school with my students and in my personal life) for balancing different things in one day. We want to remain upright and steady. If we're weighed down unevenly in different areas, we will be unsteady. In conclusion, I want to leave you with these reminders:

1. Know your obligations and fulfill them.

2. Spend time with God and the people you love.

3. Fit in at least one thing every day you enjoy.

4. Keep taking care of your physical, spiritual, and mental health.

5. You are not alone- God and others will be there.

Then, let's do as I Corinthians 15:58 says, "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord's work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Every day is a new day to balance carefully and do the best you can. Love and blessings to all 💖!!