Work, boyfriend, home and kids. How do we find the time?
"Crying over a guy? Hold your head up, princess. Your tiara is slipping."
Märtha stared gaping at the words on the bulletin board in the kitchen of our spiritual institute:
I was baffled, because I just had a heated discussion with the man I love most in the world, and I was having a difficult week at work to boot; I had trouble holding my head high that week.
There are weeks when it seems impossible to balance work with the rest of life. Sound familiar?
We are two practical women with a greater capacity for work. Because we live in two different countries (Elisabeth works in Norway and Märtha works in England) we are capable of getting a lot done when we finally get together. We decided to combine two workshops this week which resulted in a lot of extra hours. The most wonderful part of our work is the spiritual energy it generates in us. We are humbly inspired by strong women who explore their inner spirituality. Even though this intense workweek has been planned for months, our daily lives seem to have lives of their own! We cannot predict what is going to happen at any given time.
Elisabeth is planning to buy a new house. She is very particular about the house in which she lives:
I am sensitive to energies -- especially in homes. I am also more interested in architecture and interior design than most people are. I have been searching for a new house for months now while my children and I live in a temporary home. This is not an optimal solution. I have to admit, I have been stressed and under pressure lately. When will my dream home finally materialize?
I found a house in the middle of the week in which we conducted our joint workshop. I had to find time that same week to go to the showing, match competing prices and haggle. I was irresolute: I thought getting that house was not so important, it was not my real dream home after all, but at the same time I wouldn't want to miss it for the world, in case it was my dream home in disguise... I kept my cell phone in my back pocket throughout the week and sent silent SMSes in the middle of the workshop sessions. I was seesawing between my role as teacher, with all the spiritual presence that implies, and having to focus a lot of attention on the possibility of buying a house.
I did not get the house that time, even though I felt a bit disappointed -- but maybe it was the right decision. I know and believe that things in life happen when they need to happen.
Back to Märtha:
I was flabbergasted as I stood in the kitchen staring at the wall. I was certain the words on the bulletin board were meant for me. But nobody at the workshop knew how many telephone calls and conversations I had had in the back room up to then. Still, these words reminded me to focus on where I was, here and now. I felt an overwhelming gratitude toward the Universe; it was able to communicate this message to me through someone who did not even know she had helped me.
We are able to plan a lot of things so we feel we have control of our lives. That is when life presents us with its own plans. That is when we need to master the art of balance -- when surprises hit us -- here and now.
Are there any good tips to help us keep our balance? Think about when you learned to balance as a child; do you remember nearly falling but finding your body's balance point that allowed you to continue without falling? This is a good way to find peace when juggling everything we have in the air. Breathe slowly, take a step back, find your balance and give yourself a break. Be present in yourself and in the NOW; deal with the life you are living at that very moment. Being you and being present in every situation can be challenging and difficult at times, but it is also an essential element of life.
For everyone who participated in our workshop and our lives that week, and for everyone reading this proclamation: We have done our very best to stay balanced this week. Even if the tiara slipped from time to time...