Ann
Ipock
Humorist,
author, speaker
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Georgetown
Times
Balance, however
defined, brings me joy in the morning
By Ann Ipock January
17, 2007
A recent bout of carpal tunnel syndrome left me baffled as to what caused
it in the first place. Doctors blame it on repetitive motion. With that
in mind, I automatically ruled out house cleaning or cooking. It’s
kind of hard to do something repetitively when you barely do it at all.
I decided the culprit must be computer work. I sit here for hours on end
most days with few breaks. I’m either writing columns, doing research
and correspondence, emailing, or planning out my calendar.
I then asked myself if perhaps my life is out of balance. Was too much
work and too little play making Ann a dull girl? Ironically, I hurried
to my computer to get all these thoughts written down. I listed my daily
activities and the amount of time spent on each (using corresponding numbers).
That night, I had hubby Russell read this. He gave me his usual retort,
saying, “Ann this looks pretty good. But, ah, what kind of numbers
are you basing this on? If it’s percentages, this doesn’t
add up to 100 percent. Or, is it the number of hours in any given day?”
I grabbed the paper out of his hand, re-reading the numbers. I realized
he was right. Annoying and right — a bad combination. But I let
him continue. He said, “Oh, I see! You’re trying to balance
12 hours out of every day, because you sleep the other 12.” What?
That is so not true.
It must be a left-brained thing for him, being so analytical. Me? I’m
more right-brained (though some would argue I’m non-brained). I
discovered this years ago during a job interview when I took a written
personality test. The results showed me to be “feeling, sensual
and intuitive,” or something akin to that.
Well, I’ve since reworked this list and I realize it’s not
easy finding balance. In fact, what exactly is balance? Is it equal amounts
of work and play, exercise and rest, reading and writing, talking and
listening, and prayer life and good works? Is it giving equal time to
the important stuff? If so, what’s important? And another thing:
variables skew any chance of daily balance (at least for me): What is
it they say? “Life is what happens when you’re busy making
other plans.”
Variables — like, travel time (I’m on the road a lot these
days) or, unexpected interruptions such as sitting in the doctor’s
office, buying groceries or running errands — make true balance
seem unobtainable.
What’s a person to do? The very notion of finding balance —
which should bring me relaxation — brings me anxiety. I’ve
always been a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of girl and
old habits are hard to change. Some new habits might help, but I’m
not sure: For instance, more concentration (though my A.D.D. screws this
up), better planning (but knowing where to start?), and finding order
(ironically, I seem to thrive on chaos).
I’ve decided that to be balanced each person must find his/her own
way — kind of like each person has to discover his/her own strengths
and weaknesses. I’ve also discovered some rather striking finds
that make me feel balanced: My daily stretching/yoga bring me calmness,
as does prayer and meditation.
Savoring the moment, whether ironing a blouse or rearranging a room helps
me stay grounded.
Spending time with family and friends — via the phone, computer
or face-to-face give me joy.
Looking forward to dinner with Russell each night is comforting (but don’t
tell him that).
And realizing that life is not perfect — instead, “good is
good enough” allows room for error.
In the end, if I find time for what really matters and if I give up any
notion of perfection, then that’s what makes me feel balanced.
It doesn’t matter whether it adds up to 100 percent or a 16-hour
block of time.
I know I’m “balanced” when I find myself breathing deeply,
not worrying unnecessarily and living life fully engaged. And that’s
what brings me joy in the morning.