A Shared Personal Journey

My life has recently been running at a hectic and sometimes nearly frantic pace. I am grateful for the familiarity and consistency that the return of school has offered us...but what is most sobering is how each day seems to fill itself up to capacity. As I responsibly tick each daily item down, I breathe a sigh of relief yet only to notice the sun setting outside of my window.; another day gone by. The realization of time marching on whether or not I've fully lived that day quickly ties up knots in my stomach and urges me to grab tightly a hold of each day and beg it to slow down just a little.

This leads me to a little experiment I've been thinking about for awhile now. I'll call it *Thirty Days of Balance*. This word *balance* has been bouncing around in my head for some time. I recently read an excellent article by a university professor encouraging balance (in many forms) for an emotionally and physically fulfilling life (I wish I could remember where so I could link). It is also a personally meaningful word in that it has often been used in blessings I've had from various spiritual leaders in my life. I have chosen today to start my little experiment because it marks the first day of the Libra, the seventh astrological sign in the Zodiac: my sign. Now, I'm not a big believer in mythological signs but I can appreciate the meaning behind my symbol. Libra is the only inanimate symbol of the zodiac, all others representing either humans or animals. That symbol is the golden scales, representing balance.

The beautiful painting above is by Vermeer. It is titled "Woman Holding a Balance" and is part of the Widener Collection in National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (Though I might add we were lucky enough to view a Vermeer at the Louvre, just not this one.) A Vermeer expert said regarding this painting," 'Woman with a Balance' provides us not with a warning but with comfort and reassurance; it makes us feel not vanity of life but its preciousness...the woman asserts a quite, imperturbable calm, the quintessence of Vermeer's vision." (Edward A. Snow) Recognizing that I cannot add hours or even mere minutes to my hurried days, what I am hoping to accomplish with *30 Days of Balance* is the opportunity to savor, enjoy, or pursue something perhaps just a bit more each day. My hope is that after these 30 days I can look back at this little journey of mine and see diverse moments of joy and growth in day to day balance. I plan to share it in photographs to further my commitment and perhaps inspire along the way.

-amr