Author: clfuu

Prayer can be a practice of interrupting the hectic world to reconnect ourselves to something greater than we are. As such, it can be a tool that returns us to balance.

How do you connect to something greater than yourself?

“As a child, I used to do gymnastics. And I loved the balance beam. I remember the graceful motion of one leg passing through thin air, as the other leg holds steady on the beam. Much like life, the grace and art of the balance beam, was that you have to concentrate on one step at a time. Whether landing jumps, or doing tricks, every foot or hand fall on the beam was vital to the balance you kept. In life, I find it often the same way. To balance, we must take it one step, one plan, one day at a time. And sometimes if we do, we can enjoy the art of moving through the air.”
-Rev. Emily DeTar Birt

How can you concentrate on one thing at a time, one movement at a time, one day at a time?

In the Greek myth of Atlas, the giant is imprisoned because he balances the whole world on his shoulders. He is able to do it, but because he carries the whole world, Atlas can’t do anything else. Atlas can’t even eat, drink, or just share some times with friends. So often in our lives we try to balance the entire of our world on our shoulders, in moments feeling we should or can be invincible and all powerful. But even a Greek giant struggles when balancing the world and has no power to do anything else.

When have you felt like you were balancing the weight of the entire world on you?

The priorities of our society are often messed up. Because of our societal pressure we feel to work ourselves into exhaustion, balance is often difficult to find. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a cycle of being overwhelmed, working fast, getting tired, seeking rest, and then quickly back to being overwhelmed.

How do you interrupt the cycles that cause you to become overwhelmed?

There is a myth that on the equinox, one can balance an egg on its tip. The truth is that this is always possible, but it is always fleeting. Balance is not a permanent state, but a momentary state of seeking. The egg resting on its tip is beautiful, but it does not stay that way for long.

What are the myths you carry with regard to the concept of balance? How do you dispel those myths?