The older I get, the more I understand the importance of BALANCE and the difficulty of maintaining it. Every element of our lives requires balance. Nutrition requires a balance of macro and micronutrients that support our bodies and delicious treats that make our hearts happy. Careers require a balance of diligent effort and periods of rest. Creativity requires a balance of inspiration and implementation.
The beginning of 2026 was a BIG lesson in balance. From dealing with a brutal case of influenza to undergoing an unexpected surgery, balance wasn’t just a goal; it was a necessity. I had to find balance between letting my body rest during illness while still making progress on my work projects. A balance of creativity and administrative tasks. A balance of recovering from surgery while still finding ways to move my body.
And through it all, I’ve been discovering new ways to find this balance. Building systems, implementing habits. Because balance isn’t a guessing game. It requires intentionality.
The key to maintaining balance is ALIGNMENT. Almost every yoga class I take has some sort of correctional cue about how to find your alignment in a pose. Stacking the bones in just the right way, engaging just the right muscles. And when you find that alignment, you feel entirely immovable. Nothing can knock you down.
The same is true in our lives. We can only find balance within and amongst the many elements that make up our lives when we're living in alignment with what is truly important to us and living in accordance with how our own unique minds and bodies function. The values we hold. The ideals we aspire to. Our economic situations, disabilities, passions.
For me, the most important element of this is my faith in Christ. When I am out of alignment with the Lord, it has a direct impact on every single area of my life. When I am living in a rush rather than being present in the life He's given me, when I'm procrastinating because of fear rather than boldly using the skills He's given me, when I'm constantly worrying about the future rather than trusting in His good plan for me... All of these things throw off my alignment and put me out of balance.
Lately, I've been trying to be much more intentional about living in alignment with what I believe and what is important to me, and making more daily adjustments based on my health challenges. And I don't do it perfectly! There are many, MANY wibbles and wobbles in my balancing acts. But slowly and steadily, I'm learning and growing and discovering new things that help me maintain balance. And at the end of the day, I can look over it all in spite of all those wobbles and see a change for the better.