Catch your balance

Today, I stood on a bamboo floor in steamy air.

I was standing on one leg, arms in the air, and raised my eyes to the sky.

Unsteady, my arms waved to one side and then the other as I tried to catch my balance.

Those words stayed with me as I thought about the wavering image I’d glimpsed in the mirror.

Catch my balance.

Why is it that our muscles act on reflex to keep us from toppling, yet our emotions are slower to rescue us from the mess of falling down?

Perhaps the signs are there. The unsteadiness — a warning. And, instead, we just ignore.

Being off balance isn’t just a physical state. It’s a mental one.

Impatience.
Frustration.
Anger.
One side of the story. (Our own)

Is it time that you catch your balance?

Just like a leg, a hand, will catch us before we hurt ourselves — where is the safety net when our words, our emotions, our fear creeps out to hurt ourselves…or others.

Perhaps, all we need is a breath.

A breath.

To slow.

To calm.

To remember.

Where our center is.

There is another perspective. There is another involved. There is another who matters.

Empathy.
Listening.
Understanding.
Care.
Many sides of the story. (Beyond our own)