Life Is Like A Paddle Board

Maintaining balance in life, much like while being on a paddle board is a relatively easy endeavor when we feel like conditions or life circumstances are working for us.

The art of living life well lies in our ability to maintain that balance when life throws us a curb ball, or surprisingly a much desired or anticipated event occurs.

Sometimes the curb ball is a 70lb chocolate lab who doesn’t know she’s “supposed” to be water dog who can swim on her own and now suddenly feels the need to be right there with you, on your board, while you delicately try to balance her needs, to be velcroed to you and your desire to not take a dip in a freezing cold glacier lake.

Or that much desired and anticipated event could be a new baby, the big promotion or a new relationship with the person we’ve been dreaming of. We can also lose our balance when that perfect new baby has morphed into an unruly teen, or some unforeseen event occurs, aging parents, health problems, an unexpected financial hit, the loss of a job or a loved one. The list goes on... It can feel like a cruel trick that just when we are most in need of a stable foundation, it’s nowhere to be found. So what are we to do?

What I have discovered that works almost every time is for me is to go against my own natural inclination to speed things up, force, cling to what was or manipulate the situation. What I have learned, often the hard way, is that by slowing down, accepting what currently is without the need to change it, being patient, being open to new ideas and approaches while also being gentle with myself and others almost always nets me the best results. This approach while not easy, also works well with chocolate labs who have water issues!

Because here's the thing, we can’t force balance. In fact the harder we try, the harder it is to achieve. Don't believe me? Try this little experiment, go stand on one leg and then get all worked up about something...

There is a saying in the Baptiste Yoga methodology "Don't try hard, try easy." I get it, it's totally counterintuitive, but it works! This is where taking a really deep breath or two or three offers us the opportunity to re-set our mind, our body and our spirit, and that opportunity is available to us as often as required. When we take the easy approach oddly enough the space between instability and stability gradually returns and expands. Slowly but surely our foundation becomes steady once again.

This is just one way we can create and maintain balance, in all areas of our lives, one breath and one moment at a time. Which can come in pretty darn handy when the water is cold!!

Thank you so much for reading, if you enjoyed this post I welcome your comments below and appreciate your sharing it with friends.

Much Love and many Blessings

Jenn xoxox