Balance

Life is a mixture of work, fun, family, hobbies, and all the other stuff. I am sure that I am in the same boat as many of you: trying to find time to get everything I want to accomplish to fit into my busy schedule.

I feel the most positive and most comfortable with my life when I have a good balance of these activities. Whenever work stress gets me frustrated, instead of coming home and kicking the dog (we don't have a dog, but I just love that phrase :) ) I go for a run, or a walk in the woods, or spend an hour playing the fiddle. Those stressful moments that I thought were so important and so life draining suddenly fade away.

I had a wonderful weekend with my family. We spent half the weekend at home doing family things, and traveled the other day to an art festival. I watched my kids make art projects. Sat and enjoyed an elephant ear (yum!) and some bluegrass music. Visited with artist friends, and watched other new artists demonstrate their work. For me the mixture of art, music and family was a grand slam.

So yea, lots of things can be stressful and rob you of your positive energy. Work can be aggravating. Or the car breaks down. You get an unexpected bill in the mail, or maybe you don't reach a goal you set for yourself. Sit back and simmer down, take a few moments to do something you enjoy, and then regroup your thoughts. The problems or the stress may still be there, but at least you can deal with it in a constructive way rather than a destructive way.