More Talk About Balancing Things
Thursday, December 28, 2006 at 04:02PM
My cousin Leah and I were on the topic of balance a while back. As you can see, I haven't had much of it lately because I had meant to post this weeks ago during the Christmas rush. Things have calmed down a bit now, and what a welcomed relief. But I still wanted to share with you a little of what she wrote on the subject. Here is an excerpt from her email to me regarding a book she'd read called No Time:
"She outlines how all our technologies make things actually more stressful rather than less, and one reason that stuck with me as particularly intriguing is that with email, msn, text messaging, cell phones, etc, we've actually got parts of ourselves on call, all the time. Even if you're not checking your email every day or answering your cell phone, that is still a part of you that is out there at the request of someone else. So in a way it's impossible to have time that is 100% your own. In a way it's like every time we send an email, text message or what have you, it's a little representation of the self and the more we fragment this self, the harder it is to feel in control of it all and in balance."
She goes on to say:
" Everyone's got their own limits, so there's no catch-all solution. That's the trouble. In order to know when to say 'enough is enough' you also have to know yourself. It's hard to say, "I am saying no, and even if (person talking to) doesn't understand why, it's OK because it's ME saying no, and I really value my own opinion. When things get really overwhelming, that's when I know it's time to scale back, and take time that is just mine. As in, unplug the phone, shut the door, lie on the floor listening to great music, or dance in my underpants...whatever it is that makes you feel like a whole person again., like you have some control over your own time. Because just knowing that you have that control, even if you don't always excercise it, contributes a great deal to feeling balanced".
...Don't you just LOVE her?
Reader Comments (1)
Thanks for the shoutout! I'm glad to be able to contribute to the discussion on balance for you and your readers. It's a topic close to me since I'm starting to feel the effects of adult life and the stresses people live under... and like all new experiences, I like to talk about it and suss things out!
As always, Maile, I LOVE your photos. Beauts, all of them.