Balanced Living is Healthy Living

Two nights ago I came home from work exhausted. It had been a long day of meetings, trying to cast vision for the new year, getting departments on board with budgets, a few employee disciplinary issues, all the stuff that takes its toll mentally and emotionally. I had gotten up at 5am to work out, so dinner and the TV sounded really good. What was funny was earlier in the day i was thinking about who two dimensional my life was becoming. Working out and work, working out and work. I was trying to figure out how to build on my relationships with my wife and kids, and with the few friends that I have. All of the sudden the phone rang. My boss had a few extra tickets to the Blazer game that night. My first thought was how tired I was, how this would interrupt my plan for getting mentally ready for the next day via the TV, and then I thought about balance. I quick said yes and tracked down my two boys who where more than willing to drop homework to go to the game.

Blazers lost, but I won. I got to spend time with my boys, We got to enjoy a change of pace, a break from the normal routine, and I got to work on developing my relationship with my boss. The next morning I jumped up at 5 am rather than dragged out excited about the day, not feeling like I am stuck in a rut. Through this and other stories like this I am learning that a balanced life is more important to healthy living than I ever imagined. When I am balanced stress seems to have natural release points whether on the treadmill, through discussions with friends, or the escape of a basketball game. Spending time with those who are important to you keeps those relationships from becoming things that hinder you, and rather puts them into a p;ace of enriching your life. And, balanced living is just fun.

I am trying to find more and more ways to break up my day with things that bring balance. Life doesn’t have to be just about work and working out. It can be about fulfillment, joy and peace. Here’s to finding balance in our lives.