Daily Compass

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?

“I could say grace was a woman with time on her hands, or a white buffalo escaped from memory. But in that dingy light it was a promise of balance.”
From Grace by Joy Harjo

Balance sometimes comes when we give ourselves permission to slow down in the midst of the mess, to breathe even with the dishes still in the sink.  The grace we give to ourselves and others, to not have our lives balanced, can often be the times when we achieve the most balance in our lives.

When have you experienced grace that allows you to feel more balanced?

Balance is seductive, and hard to achieve. Rocks balanced on one another are toppled by a breeze or a wave. We seek balance and yet so rarely feel it.

What are the moments in which you have felt most balanced?