Don’t avoid extremes, and don’t choose any one extreme. Remain available to both the polarities – that is the art, the secret of balancing. ~ Rajneesh (Indian mystic, guru and spiritual teacher)

Balancing… I am pretty good at balancing objects—I excel at Jenga and Blockhead! And I have good body balance—I guess I have a pretty solid core. (Or, maybe it’s my wide feet—that has to help.) That’s not what I’ve thought about lately, though, in terms of balancing. When I was hired as your Director of Family Ministries (DFM), Sharon asked if I could stay on as Office Administrator for a few weeks, just until we find a good fit. “Sure!” I answered confidently. We agreed I would do just the most important and pressing tasks in the area of Administrator; my priority would be DFM.

Four days later, I felt slightly overwhelmed, a bit confused, and — yes — out of balance. Typically, when people refer to keeping their life “in balance” they mean balancing work and home, or joy and pain. That’s not what happened to me, though— the two jobs, although requiring some of the same skills, are very different. I wondered if I could continue two such disparate (and important) job paths.

Interestingly, over the next few weeks I came to find my balance. Scheduling specific chunks of time for different areas helped. What is amazing, I almost found my brain “clicking” when re-directed. I found I could “remain available to both polarities.” So yes, I guess balance can be learned.

However, I confess I am very happy that we have found Brittany, who is certainly turning out to be a top Office Administrator in a very short amount of time! Now I can turn my full attention to this wonderful new job, that of Director of Family Ministries.

To that end, I remind you to come to the “Once Upon a Time” auction event, where our children can teach us the beauty of pretend. Also, mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 15th. We are having a guest, Reverend Roux Malan from the Cape Town (South Africa) Unitarian Church, and will be welcoming him with a good old-fashioned Chalice Potluck! Our two RE groups are making connections. Why don’t we adults follow suit and reach out to the adult Cape Town congregation as well? You never know the richness such connections can bring to your life.