Balancing Act

I want to thank all the people who came out to Open Studios. We know that a lot of people are still out of work, so not many have discretionary funds for buying, or investing in art. Nevertheless, many people came out to see the work, to support us with their presence, their interest, and yes, some even with their money.

 

Since the Open Studios activities, I’ve found myself juggling a number of jobs and roles. This photo may not depict the full drama of the moment. It’s a picture of me achieving victory over a challenging exhibit at the new Exploratorium. What you cannot tell is that the round table holding the blocks is not a solidly supported platform; it is balanced on a small center point, like the point of a top. Also, some of those blocks are weighted with metal. So, I was pretty pleased that I managed to get all the blocks balanced on the platform in my second try. I’m happy to say, as we walked away it stayed like that until the next challenger arrived.

In the time since that day, I’ve reflected on the photo a number of times, as a symbol of my life. Life is like that platter of weights. We hope that our physical and mental health are the stable platform for the things we take on. For a week or more after the two-weekend Open Studio events, I had to pay attention to re-establishing that personal inner balance. I was exhausted. It’s usually hard for me to even recognize fatigue (let alone admit it), so when it’s obvious, it is really time to slow down. But I’m like you, I have a lot of different “balls in the air” all at once, and I have to keep juggling to keep everything in motion.

How’s the balance in your life this summer? Will you get vacation time? How will you use it? If you don’t have a lot of money for a getaway, will you get pulled into the demanding gravity of home improvement and maintenance? Well, I give you permission to play hookie from those things, then go play something else: golf, tennis, dominoes!

Go to the Exploratorium! Let your mind play, it will do you a world of good. Honest.