I think a lot about balance in our lives and the possible ways to achieve it. I'm no expert in any sort of way except that-like many of you, most likely-I've worked hard much of my life to accomplish this great task, and have learned a few tricks along the way.
I like to imagine our lives as a pendulum-when the shiny balls are at rest, I am at rest-I've found that balance if only temporary. It never takes long, however, for the pendulum to get set into motion again, and the little roller coaster ride begins all over again. There was a time I thought this was a bad thing-that I still hadn't learned balance. I thought that if I'd really "mastered" this balance that the shiny balls would always just stay at rest-or very close to at rest-and would never swing that high in either direction.
But then one day, I thought about the work of an artist (I am a musician, for those that don't know), and how much of that art comes as the direct result of a very active pendulum-all the way up on one side, down quickly, then high up on the other side. Somehow something "clicked" inside me, and I became aware that there was some sort of energy that came from this pendulum swing-a creative energy. And though I hesitated to call this erratic shift a "good thing," there was no question it was at the very least a constructive thing and quite useful if one wishes to be artistically productive.
I also noticed that if the pendulum is placed on a sturdy, level surface, the shiny ball in the center never actually moves-it simply takes the energy from the two shiny balls on one side and transfers it to the two shiny balls on the other side. This seemed important to me. It was then I began considering what "balance" in our lives really means-that it doesn't necessarily mean all the shiny balls are at rest-only the one in the middle.
Perhaps both sets of shiny balls on either side of the motionless one in the center could be thought of as light and dark, good and evil, depression and mania, love and hate, or any other sorts of opposites we confront in life. At the risk of sounding "cheesy" I couldn't help but think of the Star Wars philosophy of "balance in the force."
What I ended up discovering even later in life, which many of you on Twitter have heard me say, is that love is an energy exchange-it truly is. We all experience various trials in our lives, and sometimes we share them with others, sometimes we absorb them from others. Sometimes that process of sharing or absorbing them harms us, sometimes it heals us-there are no guarantees when it comes to human interaction one way or the other. The constant we seem to have-if we'll choose to make it our focal point-is that shiny ball in the middle. Call it Love, call it one's heart, one's spirit, soul, or even God or what have you-but it seems to me that's the only one we truly have to concern ourselves with. As long as that shiny ball in the middle stays motionless, everything's gonna be okay-that's how I feel nowadays.
That was very good news for this empathic musician the world has decided to call "Kev." It didn't take me long to realize that keeping that shiny ball in the middle at rest was a very simple thing-in fact one needs do nothing at all to keep it there, other than to keep that pendulum we call "life" rested upon a sturdy, level surface. Perhaps that sturdy, level surface is love itself; the very thing (and maybe the ONLY thing) all religions, philosophies, and belief systems seem to have in common as a good, proper, and necessary thing.
I no longer concern myself with the shiny balls on either side of the motionless center: as the highs and lows enter my life in various forms, I will find ways to funnel those emotions into creative & constructive outlets (such as this spontaneous blog, for instance). I will find joy in knowing that the natural state of the shiny ball in the center is to be at rest, that it needs no effort on my part to stay there. As was said in a famous rock song "...roll with the punches and get to what's real." (I'll let you google that for yourselves if you need to, though I'm hoping many of you will hear the song in your head right away).
Thank you all always and again for your amazing love and support!
Kev
oxox
I like to imagine our lives as a pendulum-when the shiny balls are at rest, I am at rest-I've found that balance if only temporary. It never takes long, however, for the pendulum to get set into motion again, and the little roller coaster ride begins all over again. There was a time I thought this was a bad thing-that I still hadn't learned balance. I thought that if I'd really "mastered" this balance that the shiny balls would always just stay at rest-or very close to at rest-and would never swing that high in either direction.
But then one day, I thought about the work of an artist (I am a musician, for those that don't know), and how much of that art comes as the direct result of a very active pendulum-all the way up on one side, down quickly, then high up on the other side. Somehow something "clicked" inside me, and I became aware that there was some sort of energy that came from this pendulum swing-a creative energy. And though I hesitated to call this erratic shift a "good thing," there was no question it was at the very least a constructive thing and quite useful if one wishes to be artistically productive.
I also noticed that if the pendulum is placed on a sturdy, level surface, the shiny ball in the center never actually moves-it simply takes the energy from the two shiny balls on one side and transfers it to the two shiny balls on the other side. This seemed important to me. It was then I began considering what "balance" in our lives really means-that it doesn't necessarily mean all the shiny balls are at rest-only the one in the middle.
Perhaps both sets of shiny balls on either side of the motionless one in the center could be thought of as light and dark, good and evil, depression and mania, love and hate, or any other sorts of opposites we confront in life. At the risk of sounding "cheesy" I couldn't help but think of the Star Wars philosophy of "balance in the force."
What I ended up discovering even later in life, which many of you on Twitter have heard me say, is that love is an energy exchange-it truly is. We all experience various trials in our lives, and sometimes we share them with others, sometimes we absorb them from others. Sometimes that process of sharing or absorbing them harms us, sometimes it heals us-there are no guarantees when it comes to human interaction one way or the other. The constant we seem to have-if we'll choose to make it our focal point-is that shiny ball in the middle. Call it Love, call it one's heart, one's spirit, soul, or even God or what have you-but it seems to me that's the only one we truly have to concern ourselves with. As long as that shiny ball in the middle stays motionless, everything's gonna be okay-that's how I feel nowadays.
That was very good news for this empathic musician the world has decided to call "Kev." It didn't take me long to realize that keeping that shiny ball in the middle at rest was a very simple thing-in fact one needs do nothing at all to keep it there, other than to keep that pendulum we call "life" rested upon a sturdy, level surface. Perhaps that sturdy, level surface is love itself; the very thing (and maybe the ONLY thing) all religions, philosophies, and belief systems seem to have in common as a good, proper, and necessary thing.
I no longer concern myself with the shiny balls on either side of the motionless center: as the highs and lows enter my life in various forms, I will find ways to funnel those emotions into creative & constructive outlets (such as this spontaneous blog, for instance). I will find joy in knowing that the natural state of the shiny ball in the center is to be at rest, that it needs no effort on my part to stay there. As was said in a famous rock song "...roll with the punches and get to what's real." (I'll let you google that for yourselves if you need to, though I'm hoping many of you will hear the song in your head right away).
Thank you all always and again for your amazing love and support!
Kev
oxox
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