Standing on a Yoga Ball

            Sometimes life is a struggle. Standing on one of those yoga exercise balls is also a struggle. Therefore life is like standing on a yoga ball. For all of you familiar with logical syllogisms, I know that is technically a fallacious syllogism because there is an undistributed middle term. But I still think it is a helpful analogy to consider when pondering the complexities of life.

            How do you stand on a yoga ball? Is it even possible to get your feet planted on one without falling over first? Honestly, I have no idea, I've never tried actually standing on one. Many people thought I was really good at it though, due to a few of my senior pictures (right). Everyone was so impressed with how coordinated I was, until they found out that I was really standing on one of the red cement balls outside of Target. Cool photo op, but it wasn't exactly hard to stand on. It just took a bit of balance.
            Balance. What a lovely idea. Life is all about balance-- something I've been realizing more and more lately. You've all heard the phrase "too much of a good thing" and it's very true. Some parts of my life are truly amazing and it feels like I just want to spend all my time doing them (spending time with my friends, listening to music), but if that was actually all I did, I'm sure I'd get a little fed up with even my closest friends and listening to music would lose its appeal. On the flip side, if these thing were completely eliminated, my life would be significantly sadder.
            It's all about finding time to be social and time to be alone. Time to work hard and be productive, but time time to relax and de-stress as well. Not gorging myself on food when I actually do come home, but also not forgetting to eat because I'm so busy. Sleeping long enough to function, but staying up late enough to get homework done. These are all practical balances*; they are all also balances that I struggle with on a day to day basis. But the more abstract balances are the ones that pique my interest even more.
            How do we pursue knowledge while acknowledging that we will never be able to know and understand fully? How do we act to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, while acknowledging that this world is so broken that we will never be able to see it in its fullness in the here and now. It is already here in the church, but not yet here in its fullness**. Why do we strive so much to get to know other people, when we know that we can't solve the mystery of another person? As my religion professor says, "A mystery is different from a problem; problems get solved, mysteries get explored." Balance, that's the answer. 
            Don't lose the mystery of life. Don't ignore the mystery; don't be consumed by it. Balance these extremes. Life is one big balancing act; I feel as if I'm already up there on that yoga ball. It gets hard to keep everything in check, but it is possible! It can be done. I can't tell you how to balance your schedule or your checkbook and I also can't explain the balance found in the most accurate answers to some of life's hardest questions. But I can encourage to strive for that balance, it makes things a little bit easier. I myself am still trying to find that optimum balance. I come tumbling off that yoga ball way too often, but each time I do I learn what not to do next time. And though I may never perfectly get the hang of it, I'm always improving. Always searching, always learning, always weighing the options. Always balancing. 

*I find that this reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, one of my favorite passages. I often find myself taking great comfort in the fact that my time is not my own. It is a gift from God, and I should be a good steward of it, but what God has ordained to happen will happen. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 reads as follows:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

**I kind of derived this idea from a prayer said to be written either by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador or as a reflection on his life and work there. It has been a very influential poem in my life and goes by many different names: "Prophets of a Future Not Our Own" or "It Helps Now and Then" or "A Step Along the Way." No matter its title, the message is very moving and the poem itself is eloquently worded. It really is quite beautiful. If you haven't read it, you can find a copy of it to read here.