The Teeter Totter of Life

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Yahoo Image Search

I have been trying really hard to develop a life balance.  Many have pointed out that my world has been turned upside down in every aspect.  There are only so many hours in the day too, so priorities have to be rearranged on an almost weekly basis.  It’s been really difficult this summer since the job is 9-5.  That doesn’t give me any time in the morning or evening once I get the important stuff done.  Not to mention I’m dead on my feet by the time I get home and put my son to bed.  So, what are the areas that I’m trying to balance here?

  • Parenthood
  • Work
  • Errands and Chores
  • Writing
  • Exercise
  • Me Time

Now, I tried to put this in the order that I prioritized them.  I always put my son first and the job needs a lot of attention since it’s how I avoid starvation and homelessness.  Errands and chores are needed since I don’t have anyone else to do these.  To be fair, I’ve been the main gofer and cleaner in my life for a long time.  Doing these things are almost second nature.  Writing is further down the list than I wish it was, but it depends a lot on time, energy, and mood.  Hurts just seeing that not making the Top 3.  Don’t even know why ‘exercise’ is on there since I have on time to do it outside of the weekend.  Can’t even glean 15 minutes out of my day to use the stationary bike or go for a walk.  Finally, ‘Me Time’ is at the bottom.  This is what I do when I finally get a moment and I’m too tired to write.  Technically, ‘Me Time’ and writing can overlap.  Still, I put this here because I feel like I put myself at the bottom.  Just don’t have the time to pamper myself beyond making sure I don’t die or smell bad.

Sadly, I really don’t know how to perfectly balance this stuff.  Not sure that’s possible considering most of them involve other people.  If my son has a bad day or is sick then the other areas are reduced.  If work needs me more then the others are reduced.  You have random occurrences like blackouts, illness, people with requests, stressful events, and just a long list of things that are beyond your control.  This is why I get stressed at times.  I’m always being told by others that things will settle or I will find balance.  Others tell me to work towards it.  Yet, I’m routinely knocked for a loop.  Many of my friends have the same ‘bad luck’.  It’s almost like the universe doesn’t like balance.  It requires chaos and a level of stress that keeps the pharmaceutical companies in business.  And people wonder why it’s so important to take a mental health day from time to time.

The funny thing is that I thought I would give some tips, but realized I don’t have anything to say.  Every life is different and I’m horribly unbalanced, so I shouldn’t be giving suggests for this.  I’d ask for tips in the comments, but I sense that most will do the ‘take it one day at a time’ or something similar.  So, I’m more curious about what people think of balancing life.  Not how to do it, but just the overall concept.  Perhaps one reason it’s so hard is that everyone has a different definition of a balanced life.  Let’s see what we get in the comments.

Unknown's avatar

About Charles Yallowitz

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn't working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. 'Legends of Windemere' is his first series, but it certainly won't be his last.
This entry was posted in Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

28 Responses to The Teeter Totter of Life

  1. John W. Howell's avatar John W. Howell says:
    July 31, 2019 at 10:10 am

    Yeah, balance. I have heard that for years. Tons of how-to books and seminars have made folks rich with the “supposed” holy grail. I find balance is ending the day still breathing and taking nourishment. All other is hype and tends to make those under a multiple responsibility type life feel they are missing out. We do what we have to do and do it every day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. coldhandboyack's avatar coldhandboyack says:
    July 31, 2019 at 10:13 am

    It’s kind of like a tide. You start at the same time every day, but the shoreline is always different. About once per month you’ll catch the high tide of stress, and the low tide of perfect.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler)'s avatar Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler) says:
    July 31, 2019 at 10:19 am

    The universe does love balance. It just has different ideas about it than we do. All we can do is ride the rollercoaster until it’s time to get off. The key thing is to decide if you’re going to enjoy the ride and make the best of the highs, or focus on the lows and let them spoil things for you.

    Like

    Reply
  4. C.E.Robinson's avatar C.E.Robinson says:
    July 31, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    Charles, the answer to balance in your life is impossible! I think of it in terms of going up and down on a teeter totter, whatever life thing is in my face on the other side. I could fall off, but at least it’s not more than 3 feet to the ground. And I’ve got my Wonder Woman suit on! So, my imagination takes over to get through it. Reminds me of what I told my young son when he had nightmares. Whip out your mighty sword, point it at the villain, and yell, get out of my head or else! I know this is not helpful, but imagination has saved me from many perilous things. Kinda like laughing at life when it smacks you in the face! 📚🎶 Christine

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. L. Marie's avatar L. Marie says:
    July 31, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    I don’t know anyone who has achieved an enviable balanced life. The only people I know who look like they’re close to it have the help of others to even look like they’re headed in that direction. You’re doing what you know to do. I hope someday life won’t feel like you’re barely surviving.

    Like

    Reply
  6. DebyFredericks's avatar DebyFredericks says:
    August 1, 2019 at 11:40 am

    So first of all, there is no perfect balance in life. Anyone who tells you they have it all figured out is just kidding themselves.

    But maybe you can fit some of those priorities together? As you mentioned, consider writing time and me time as joint priority. Or build a bit of exercise into your errands — park farther from the door to the a little walking in, that sort of thing?

    Like

    Reply
  7. V.M.Sang's avatar V.M.Sang says:
    August 1, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Balance is what nature does for us. We have ups, we have downs. I believe, eventually, they balance out. More or less. We need the dark times to best appreciate the times the sun is shining. would we appreciate a warm summer day if we hadn’t had the cold winter? Can we have the sun without it casting shadows?
    Everything comes to an end. Yes, the good times end, but so do the bad. Leave the balancing to nature and just go with the flow, as they say. Do what you can each day and don’t worry about the rest.
    In my own life, I find I don’t get enough time to write. It seems everyday throws something else to stop me. But that’s the way the world works and we have top work with it.

    Like

    Reply
  9. Chel Owens's avatar Chelsea Owens says:
    August 5, 2019 at 3:56 am

    First, write out your time. Like, track it by half hour. After three days, see where you spent what. Then write a schedule based on that.

    ^^This helped me, up till I got pregnant and “sick and tired” took up all the time slots. 😉

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment