I read a lot of food blogs (and blogs in general), and I’m guessing you’re the same. The food blogging community is extensive and diverse, and full of amazingly well-spoken and creative people. I am constantly impressed with the ideas others publish, and I strive to do a better job with Test Kitchen Tuesday as a result. The other day, I came across a blog post over on SnackFace that talked all about balance, with a call out to write about what balance looks like for readers.
I thought this was a great idea.
After all, in order to exist, humans really need balance. Can you imagine a life where you have trouble just standing upright? That’s what you’d have without balance. We take for granted that our bodies naturally want to be in balance, and they get out of whack because of things we do (or don’t do) to them.
So many of us struggle in our lives to find simple balance. We’re either all in or not in at all, whether it be with healthy eating, exercise, work, play, hobbies, religion, and whatever else may consume the precious minutes we spend on Earth.
After 34 years on this rock, I think I have the balance thing figured out. (For the record, that was sarcasm if there ever was sarcasm.) Here’s my life in balance:
- I am slightly obsessive compulsive about cleanliness. A black dog hair on the extensive white trim in our house can set off an hour-long vacuuming spree. With attachments. One doesn’t get dubbed the “Vacuum Queen” for no reason. I counteract this by letting my own hair pile up in my sink.
- If I don’t get my scheduled workout, look out. 2Chili’s not getting dinner until the start button on the DVD player, treadmill, or bike trainer has been pressed and liquid DNA has been successfully removed in sufficient quantities via P90X, running, or biking. On the other hand, I make sure to make up for all the calories burned with a worthwhile treat from time to time. Cookies have been known to be consumed as a workout “recovery meal.”
- I am super organized and efficient when it comes to work-related projects and deliverables, so I make sure to balance this out by making 2Chili do all the planning when it comes to trips or vacations, even when said trip or vacation is for a race I’m running. I just show up and he is responsible for getting us where we’re going and providing acceptable lodging and dining options. He knows what “acceptable” means (and Super 8 ain’t it). And that means we rarely have altercations about reading or folding maps. I just don’t do it. Of course, I can get anywhere I need to with the handy dandy map on my iPhone, no folding required.
- I am a grammar snob, and cringe when people use “so-and-so and I” inappropriately, “real good” to describe something, or misuse “i.e.” and “e.g,” (hint i.e. = that is, e.g.= for example). But, I give myself the freedom to use words like “ain’t” in a blog post for emphasis or poetic license. You gotta live a little. See there? I did it again.
- While I have been told I’m “very difficult” with which to dine because my brain is like an encyclopedia of calorie counts and nutritional information for pretty much any restaurant on the West Coast, I am also called upon often to provide such information. Call it the balance of knowing it all and having the restraint to not tell it all unless asked.
- I used to think yoga was a bunch of hooey done only by people that were a little out there and new-agey with names like Dharma and Sky. Blame growing up in Texas on that misunderstanding. Luckily, I figured out that’s not the case, and that’s when I really got some balance.
So, that’s what balance is like in my little corner of the world. How do you keep balance in your life?