Balance is something I struggle with. I assume I am not the only one with this problem? And as with anything in life, I can’t just be a little out of balance…I am alot out of balance. See I like to do things big!
I try to balance my diet and exercise routine and go from one or two days of exercise to five. What? And from dessert every night to fruit at each meal. Really? This only leads me to hit a brick wall and crash. Then I find my self not exercising for a week and eating chocolate every waking moment. Really.
I do this with everything. I find some socially conscious topic that pulls at my heart strings and run with it. Like what you ask? Hmmmm….where do I start? Like…eating meat/not eating meat, buying organic/not buying organic, using only recycled products/not doing that, reading the Bible/not reading the Bible, loving my friends/not loving my friends, going back to school/not going back to school, living green/not living green, growing my hair out/not growing my hair out, being artsie-fartsie/having a closet full of art supplies that are collecting dust, going to church/not going to church, being a soccer mom/well…I am such the soccer mom so that is not a good example.
I think this comes from being a passionate person. I fall in love with something and just devour it. But I would like to find a balance. I tend to go full speed then burn out. I heard Jennifer Gardner say once that she is a dumb and happy person. I envy that. The more informed I get, the more overwhelmed I feel. I wish I didn’t know what they feed farm raised animals. I wish I didn’t realize what all those wasted Starbucks cups were doing to the planet. I wish that I didn’t know that millions of people go hungry each night. I wish I didn’t think about the children in the war stricken parts of the world. I wish I didn’t feel an overwhelming sense of guilt if/when I just go on with my day or when I complain about something so silly. I wish I was dumb and happy. 
Maybe that should be my new obsession? Being dumb to find social happiness. Hmmmm….that might be fun. How to start? Maybe reading “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.” That’s reading though…does that make me smart? Then banning any 20/20 or Dateline News show. Nothing but knowledge on those programs. Oh…and the Discovery Channel…if I am on a mission not to discover anything new then I should not watch the Discovery Channel…duh. Most importantly, I think I should stop listening to church people (and I use that term loosely..there is a difference between spiritual people and church people…that’s another blog topic) talk about the end of the world and humanity and only “you” can make a difference. I do believe that Smokey the Bear has already coined that phrase…”Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!” Wow…being dumb to be happy sounds like just as much work. And as you can tell…I wouldn’t be good at balancing that mission either. All or nothing…I think I am just going to be glad for what I have/know today and not worry about tomorrow.
Carla
Filed under: New Normal
