Learning to Maintain Balance

I am an emotional person but life has taught me a few things about handling my emotional side. I am very excitable and can be on "cloud nine." I also can be hurt or disappointed easily. Those roller coaster emotions don't help an adult woman who is trying to manage a marriage, parenting and the day to day responsibilities of running a household. Now, let's throw in the reality of being a pastor's wife, teenagers and a child with autism.







I wasn't going to do well if I was "UP and DOWN" emotionally on a consistent basis. With some of these responsibilities, I was "down" a lot. This was no way to live life. I liked to be happy but the reality of being an adult woman meant there were demanding days that didn't make me happy by my definition of happiness. Something had to change, but what?

I learned (not easily) that I needed what we call "margins" at our home. I found that just because I could do something didn't mean I should. I had to ask myself. "If I take this volunteer position and my son has a meltdown at church, can I manage both on Sunday mornings?" To maintain balance and emotional control I had to focus on the most important things and make sure I had enough emotional reserve to stay even tempered and in control of my own emotions. This was a hard lesson because I love being involved in lots of things. I find a lot of those outside areas were the things I really wanted to do. They really gave me positive strokes but I couldn't manage life well with them during a certain season of my life.

Seasons of life come and go. I am able to do lots of things now my family responsibilities have changed with adult children. The changes I made in those days help me as I evaluate new opportunities that present themselves. It isn't easy to maintain balance. It is a discipline that is worth the effort!
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