Off Balance But Correctable

Backyard Photo, MH

     Today* I had an aha moment.  It was a culmination of moments that led to it.  The first moment was when I was unsteady during the balance segment of a yoga class.  I was wearing socks and stood on my yoga mat. I could not hold the pose without waving my arms and occasionally putting my foot down and starting over.  That was Wednesday.  On Thursday I did stretching and balance moves successfully standing next to my car as I waited for my walking partner. I had on strong sturdy hiking boots.  That was the second instance.  The aha moment came when I read something spiritual that basically said that we may lose our balance from time to time and that it's okay.  It doesn't mean that our lives are out of control or that we are failing.  It just means that we need to continue to take care of ourselves and that this temporary imbalance will allow us to grow and gain strength.
     This made me realize that there is a metaphor here that applies to where I am today physically and emotionally.  It is this.  On Wednesday at yoga I did not have enough support.  On Thursday my shoes gave me the strength I needed to balance effectively.  I sensed that my balance was a little off and I was wary, but by leaning a little to the left or to the right my shoes provided the support to steady me.  Additionally the walk provided me an outlet because I could share what I was feeling.  Afterward I realized that it felt really good to be able to balance successfully, physically and emotionally.  I was able to do so because I had the support I needed.  Which begs the question, when I feel unbalanced, what do I need to do?  Where do I get the support I need?
     The good news is that I have many, many choices:  I can share my situation with a friend who knows my story; I can schedule an appointment with a medical professional, a religious person such as a minister or pastor or with a spiritual advisor; I can join a support group for whatever ails me at the moment (grief, over-eating, etc.); and I can continue to journal and ask God** directly, what else should I know?
-----------------------------------------
Now for the reflective questions which you can journal about or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you and the community would love to hear from you!  Your comment could have a major impact on someone else; most likely it will be just the right thing at the right time for one of the readers. For me, God** wanted me to know that helping even just one person is wonderfully impactful.

Reflective questions:
1.  Do you feel balanced today?  Why or why not?

2.  What does God* want you to know about this (ask directly, God, what do you want me to know?)

*Written in August 2015
** I use the term God as a universal term.  You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you today.  It is not for me to decide.