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Tension as a tool for Balance

I wrapped my feet arches with support tape, pulled up my pinkest compression sleeves, had on the leggings, running bra, tank and cap.  I had my dog.  Two bottles of water in my cup-holders and my phone loaded with a dishy novel, I drove to meet my Kaia running group this morning.

Do I sound ready?  Yes I sound ready.  (And old.)

Twenty minutes later, I pulled in to park and get going!  Timothy, my labradoodle, started whining as soon as the car stopped and I pressed down the emergency brake.  He knew he was supposed to be getting out soon and thought his whining might remind me.

Timothy

Then I saw, rather than remembered, what was on my feet.  Slippers.  Sheez.

There are so many ways to react to a time like this.  Reasons why, like wagging fingers, get in our space.  I could be defensive.

I thought I might complain, but Timothy was already whining.  Someone had to be the strong one.

There is a tension between paradigms of any kind.  An ecosystem of microorganisms vs. the human body, the balance resting keeps with labor, this way with that way – and we know that any side is chaos without the other.  Some wonder who could believe in an evil if they don’t believe in God. Or, would there ever be rich if there weren’t the poor, an ugly if not for pretty, happiness without sad?  We could list these through tomorrow if we wanted.

Today, I think my slippers played their own role in this.  I choose to react to them with a knowing appreciation toward balance.

Self-care tip:  Identify what/where your balancers are.
Questions:  

  • Do you think tension is a balancing force?  
  • What is helping you maintain tensions necessary for balance?  
  • Is identifying them useful to your friendship with yourself?  

Please tell us your story.

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8 thoughts on “Tension as a tool for Balance”

  1. i despise when things like that happen. and they frequently do. i wonder WTF?! and start chastising myself for being so stupid and forgetful and the sense of frustration is quite large. the committee starts chanting in my head reminding me of all the stupid things i do, and if was more this or that i wouldn’t have done something like that. if i was more organized, better prepared, more on the ball, i am just as “bad” as my mother lead me to believe all those years ago and as disorganized and lazy, or as untidy and irresponsible as my husband has led me to believe over the years. and the other little defensive voice is saying, but but but . . . we were busy, and we were organized, and we were doing are best, and we have a lot on our plate and my mind was wandering a bit with so many things to do. and (in your case) am i sabotaging my own time, why when its about taking care of me do the wheels fall off but for everyone else i can keep it together?! what about me and things i do for me? to have good self care?!

    oh wait . . . old stories! well older anyways on a good day. those are tapes someone else created, long ago and far away, and we are who we are today and i am living a new story. God’s story through Christ and i get to start fresh. and maybe huh . . i don’t need to take personal the silly thing i forgot to do and it was just simply being forgetful or preoccupied. and the committee can take a break (one side of ego) and another side of ego the defensive side of my ego doesn’t need to defend because no one is attacking and we don’t need to defend ourselves to ourselves or anyone else. because really its all in our head!

    just like my friend who was swimming. i ran into her in the change room after her swim and before mine. she said she ran around the house and found all the things she needed, her favorite socks, and runners, her bathing suit, hoodies, spare clothes, her swim bag. made sure everyone had everything and then realized that she had forgotten . . . her pants. it was december and dumping rain. we laughed.

    i do have a sense of wasted time and effort it can be frustrating, but i can laugh today too, and then i figure there was another plan for that time and i get to see what that was. and really can i choose to do to create more cohesion. i guess that is the balance you are speaking of. and its the conversation i had for hours with a friend last night. i have been looking at things incorrectly perhaps.

    sana, maybe you can expand a bit on “the tension between paradigms” and the healthy aspects of that? this is a truly weighty subject. thanks as always.

    col

    Reply

    • being especially chosen to suffer is a familiar belief we many like to palm and pocket but as you decry w faith and fist, it isn’t true.

      good call, too, on my skimpy story-meat. i noticed that too, just about the time i pressed “send”! hugs

      Reply

  3. Essence of Chinese medicine is that illness is consequence out of balance mind, body, spirit as a triad or within each component of triad. Tension adjustment as in acupuncture brings things back into balance as well as do herbs and nutrition according to that medical paradigm. In physics calibrating the tension keeps things in balance (think of a sail ship’s rigging which is not taught buts allows the masts to sway with the forces of wind and sea). This is different from emotional tension which seems to be a matter to be coped with rather than regulated . .

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