Out of balance

Ceiling fans were a great invention and, in my opinion, are a necessity. They are a practical alternative or boost to air conditioning on a warm, breezeless summer evening. They provide some psychological comfort that the air actually is moving. But, to work best, to do the job they were intended for at any speed, they need to be balanced. When they are not, they shake and are noisy. Not the hum of the refrigerator background kind of noisy, but more the rattle in the car engine kind of irritating sound. The kind of rhythmic thumping that is like a brain worm that keeps one from being able to relax, let alone fall asleep. 

When something is rhythmically thumping in one area of our lives, it can be very hard to feel that there is any type of balance. We spend so much time and focus so much energy on that one thing that everything feels out of whack. Now, some of that is normal. Think of major events. New parents. A sudden death. Changing addresses. With all of those, we ultimately find a new balance. At least, that is the hope. But when we suddenly realize that we’re feeling sluggish, blah, stressed, cranky, snarky, anxious, or a litany of other states, most likely things are out of balance.

I’ve lived in a couple of places where my ceiling fan was fine, but the one in the apartment below me wasn’t, and that was even more troublesome because it was out of my control. My floor and bed trembled and the annoying machine ka-flunk was audible and it was necessary for me to ask others to deal with their own imbalanced fan. Similarly, when we notice things are amiss in the lives of those around us, we have to gently invite them to reflect on what’s out of balance. We don’t have to be engineers or mechanics or electricians to fix our own or another’s imbalance. We just need to be aware, open to some self examination and exploration, and willing to act. Thomas Merton said, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, rhythm and harmony.” May your week ahead be balanced.

Marilyn