Working with the Forces that are Acting On Us

BALANCING THE RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR LIVES
1.1 Riding a bike or skating, balance is easy when we are conscious of the forces acting on us because we can use those forces to our advantage, we find the easy way to stay aligned. We can do the same when balancing aspects of our lives through time. Feel the forces acting on us and use our moods, what we feel like doing to help us get things done. In the mood for studying, then study, in the mood for exercise, then its time to go to the gym. At the same time we stay aware of our relationship with each of these ideas. And so that we know what those ideas are we can ask ourselves “Why am I doing this?” Knowing the ideas in our life and why we are doing them, we can maintain a balanced relationship with each of them.
1.2 While I was at university I loved to exercise. At the same time I had to find time to study. Sometimes when I was studying I found that I was getting tired or unable to concentrate. So I used that as an excuse to go rollerblading or running. Generally, after I had exercised I was in a better mood to study. Meanwhile I couldn’t exercise so long that I didn’t have time to study, so the two kept each other in balance. Sometimes, going out for a run or a skate, I was able to figure out problems that I couldn’t figure out while staring at a book. And when I wasn’t in the mood for either I’d chat with my roommates or play video games or go out for a beer.
1.3 When I studied, I studied and I did it for long enough that I got into a groove and did something useful, learned something. Likewise, exercising, I gave myself enough time to warm up, exercise and cool down. When I wasn’t doing one thing I was doing another and I was enjoying myself.
1.4 That was the one term I did well enough to make it to the dean’s honors list.
1.5 Feeling the forces that act on us, the moods that take us, we can work on balance across time, taking turns one at a time with each of the ideas in our lives, feeling our relationship with each one and maintaining it and then moving on to the next one, cycling through them all continuously but paying attention to each one as we are with them.
1.6 Balance is maintaining a relationship with all of the ideas in our lives while working with the forces that act on us.