Are you navigating big changes right now, too? In transitional times, I find it helpful to remember that balance isn't permanent. So if you feel like you've lost it, you don't have to blame yourself for that. It's natural. The equinox gives us a momentary balance of dark and light ~ but then that changes, too!

We are constantly losing balance and finding it, over and over again. Like when we ride a bicycle ~ we're not rigidly balanced, we're adjusting moment by moment, as we move forward.

It's this way in many other aspects of everyday life, too. We find balance in a certain situation, and then as we grow and move forward, things change. It's often scary and uncomfortable ~ even though it may be a time of meaningful growth.

If a lot is in flux in your world right now, know that noticing you have lost your balance is part of finding it again. Recognizing (and normalizing) imbalance is part of rebalancing.

I came across a poem recently that was a poignant reminder about balance, change, letting go, and finding balance again. It helped me remember the gifts in change ~ even when the letting-go brings up grief and fear. I wanted to share it:

Not Forgotten
by Sheila Packa

l learned to ride
the two wheel bicycle
with my father.
He oiled the chain
clothes-pinned playing cards
to the spokes, put on the basket
to carry my lunch.
By his side, I learned balance
and took on speed
centered behind the wide
handlebars, my hands
on the white grips
my feet pedaling.
One moment he was
holding me up
and the next moment
although I didn't know it
he had let go.
When I wobbled, suddenly
afraid, he yelled keep going—
keep going!
Beneath the trees in the driveway
the distance increasing between us
I eventually rode until he was out of sight.
I counted on him.

That he could hold me was a given
that he could release me was a gift.

To practice a bit more with this, put a hand on your heart and take three breaths.

As you inhale, say to yourself: losing balance, finding balance
As you exhale, say to yourself: keep going

When you finish, notice how you feel.

Would you like to find more balance and self-compassion as you navigate uncertainty and change? I'd love to help you with that!

Art journaling is my go-to practice. It's a gentle, fun, deeply healing activity, and I see and hear how accessible and transformative it is for my students. Even for those who don't consider themselves an artist in any way.

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