Over the past few weeks I have been incredibly stressed. You can see it in my haphazard posting schedule. I try to be upbeat but at the same time realistic and it has been immensely difficult to sit down and write a post about awesome breakfast finds, swim workouts I love, and all the rest – hard to put fingertips to the keyboard when my mind is racing.
Now that I am sitting down to write, the thought occurs to me that carrying on with the ordinary might have been rather cathartic – I’ll try to remember that for next time.
Because there will be a next time. Of this I am certain.
This blog is about balance – the very name “Family Practice” a nod to the notion that we’re still learning and again, the notion of practicing – as in yoga. Meeting myself, meeting yourself, meeting others where we are today.
Accepting that life is a continued motion – that balance is not merely maintained as much as it is re-attained over and over again. Our pose tweaked to absorb the pressure we feel in our hips, re-aligning our back as our shoulders and neck become tired. The continual maintenance of balance.
Micro and Macro Balance Systems
I consider Nick and the kids to be my macro. Our beliefs, morals and values fall into this category as well. They are the big pieces and for the most part they stay balanced. Our marriage, our parental relationship and responsibilities, our overall ideals – there is still some flux and flow here for sure but these are the pieces that are far more constant than the micro. (Our morals and beliefs are grounded but they are not so solidly based that there is no tolerance or anticipation of growth)
The micro are the variables.
Where we live, where we work, what’s for dinner tonight, when will the laundry get done, how can I fit in a workout… these are the micro.
They are necessary components of life and knowing the answers to these questions as well as how the work together – both micro and macro – is what brings a sense of balance and a sense of comfort.
It is the micro that have been throwing me off. The micro that have disrupted the balance and gnawed at both mine and Nick’s comfort levels.
Why So Stressed Darling?
It doesn’t matter. The lesson is not particular to the cause.
But to make a long story short we needed to find a new house and to get Mackenzie enrolled in kindergarten.
Sounds so simple. Find a house; sign up for school. But it just wasn’t happening. Time was running out, housing options were limited and it felt like nothing was working in our favor.
No house meant no enrollment – not without proof of address.
We all have different causes of stress at different times. Maybe you too are struggling with the approaching school year or a similar housing situation – maybe your struggle is something so much bigger, or so much smaller – who are we to judge the size of another’s difficulties.
All of a sudden things fell together for us. We kept working at it and we now have a house and the school thing all lined up.
And you know what, it certainly does sound simple now that it’s “over.” (we still have to move…)
The pieces are always there. Sometimes the instructions are not.
For now, our pieces are fitting together nicely.
But as I said, life is a continued motion and there are lots of pieces floating around the atmosphere…
