Finding Balance

With Autumn comes change.

Truth be told, this is my absolute favorite time of year. I love everything about the fall. The change in temperature, the change of colors, the bringing in of the harvest... The past week has been a refreshing change for me after the go-go-go of this summer.

It has struck me how intensely the last few months passed by. In a quest to prove to myself that I could achieve my athletic goals, I became singularly minded.

In some ways, I'm grateful that I was-- because I learned a lot in the journey. But now, as the new chapter begins, I'm discovering that the real challenge will be finding balance.

There is so much depth and richness to be found in life's experiences. I find myself wanting to have a taste of everything, only to be frustrated when I cannot. What is the key to finding balance? In this world driven by competition and ruthless clamoring to be the best do we miss out on some of the best things in life? What if we just stepped back for a moment?

What if we didn't have to be the best at everything? What if we allowed ourselves a moment of reflection, and-- dare I say it-- contentment?

I like how Thomas Merton put it:

"We cannot be happy if we expect to live all the time at the highest peak of intensity. Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony. Let us, therefore, learn to pass from one imperfect activity to another without worrying too much about what we are missing."

Perhaps if we learned to relax a little and make peace with imperfection we would be better off. Which is not to say that we shouldn't give our best, or try our hardest. Certainly I believe that we should. But there is a fine line between the life well lived, and the life spent clawing to be at the top of the heap. And so this season I plan to try and live with balance. To continue to pursue my goals, yes. But also to savor the small moments; to not be so driven as to miss the more important things in life.