The Balance Beam Called Life

When I was a young girl, I loved gymnastics. I could eat, sleep and drink it. I loved to run, twirl, bounce, flip, roll, tumble, stretch, bend and split. I loved to watch something and then try it. There were a few times that I was lucky enough to go to clinics or classes that had such splendid things as a balancing beam. Growing up in a small town and being such a country girl, the balance beam was just pure fanciful delight that was not commonplace in my world. I remember getting up on it and wondering how people were so precise and skilled to land difficult moves on such a narrow piece of wood? It amazed me.
Today I find myself just as astonished and in awe of people who seem to manage their lives so skillfully. I still feel like that small town country girl in love with gymnastics, staring at the balance beam amazed and yet fearful of falling and getting hurt while attempting a routine. I have decided that just like that balance beam that I would watch others use and make it look effortless during a performance, the reality is that it took a lot of practice and a lot of falls in order to master... such is life. The real athletes just had to get past the fall (or at least the fear of the fall) and go for it. If they fall they just pick themselves up, evaluate where they went wrong to prevent it from happening again or work harder at making their body obey their mind and climb right back on.
It is a myth to think that you can just jump on that balance beam and never make a mistake or take a fall. This is life. It is hard to find the balance that we need and it takes a lot of practice, skill and determination to master. A few weeks ago I took a pretty good fall from the beam when I found out that our marathon registration was closed. We were discouraged then life came at us in full force. Manda ran a fever for 7 days straight, a couple of the kids got sick with fever and throwing up, 3 callings in church demanded some attention, a fall harvest that needed cared for, one very demanding school schedule that screamed for more attention and a house that sobbed for pity and upkeep from its caretaker all overtook my training schedule that felt pretty hopeless anyway.
When an email came the other day stating that it looks like we will be able to get into the Texas Marathon after all, my first impulse was to scorn myself with the "See, you should have listened to your feelings, you big Idiot" talk and chastising myself for not sticking to the original plan and continue training for the full marathon on January 1st. After contemplating for awhile, I decided to allow myself to learn a life lesson instead and pick myself up once again. I am not going to be too hard on myself for not being ready for a full marathon on January 1st, instead I am going to recognize that it is still tremendous progress to run a half marathon on January 1st and continue to work towards a full marathon later in the spring. I am on a path, I am in training.
It is too easy to get caught in the routine of the life of a mother, wife, daughter and every other role that we take on. There has to be a balance in order to win. Too often I have witnessed those who completely succeed in one area only to give up success in another area. I have seen people who are spiritual giants who neglect the care of their physical bodies. I have seen people who win the fight over their physical body to only lose their spirituality. I have seen people who become so obsessed with book study and education that lose sight of faith and I have seen those who have practiced such blind faith that they do not work at gaining knowledge. I admit, there are times that we have to sit back and evaluate and ask ourselves, "What really is important and what do we want to focus on?". Sometimes that even requires taking something else off the list. But chances are that our list of priorities can still seem bigger than our allotment of time. I think this is where that skill, determination and practice can come in and help us to climb back on that balance beam of life or let it defeat us.
I have found myself asking, "What it is that I want to focus on?". I also have compiled a list that can seem overwhelming. The truth is that I don't want to be a successful runner enough to sacrifice my family, faith or country. I want to be there for my children and create the warm, loving home and family that they need and the family that I have always envisioned. I want to serve my Heavenly Father and find time to feed myself spiritually because I do not feel that my life would have very deep meaning if my body were strong and my spirit were weak. I want to serve in my community and country because I believe that it is my responsibility as a citizen to create the community that I desire not the role of a government. I also want to honor the gift of life and strenghten my body and this requires me to take time to care for it as well. How is this possible to accomplish so much? I admit I do not have all the answers yet, but I also must say that it is my deep belief that if God has planted this seed in me and it will produce good fruit, He will also help me to find the answers that I need in order to succeed. I am going to practice, find the life coaches that I need, pick myself up when I fall and hop back on that balance beam we call life. I want to master this routine!

How can I combine some of my to-do list to be more successful? I feel like I have found some answers and still searching for others. This is where I am calling on my life "coaches" (yes, that's you) to help me find all the answers that I need. I feel like I have to make sure to follow a schedule, be consistent and combine the blessings of new technology and training. More on those later... please share your thoughts!