- Play.
It is the end of summer and children are taking breaks from school, sleeping late, playing, reading, swimming, going camping, and yes, watching TV and playing video games, too. Earlier my children asked me if I had the summer off, and with both a pang of jealousy and a smile, I said, "No, I have to work."
- Work.
It is what adults do-- and often do to obsession -- whether for pay or as a volunteer, whether caring for one's family or home. Certainly there is a time for work, but too often we neglect the rest of our life. We all need a time to stop the demands, to rest, to seek balance in our lives. We scurry around with the assumption that we can carry on -- until something happens to throw us off-kilter, off-balance. We get sick. We have to slow down and maybe even stop. We get laid off from work, or take on more because someone else is laid off. We run around with families to care for, but spend too little time just being with them. We stay busy to ignore the loneliness. A family member, co-worker, or spouse grows distant, angry, resentful, and we wonder why. We wonder where God is. And although God can certainly be found in the busyness of life, when our eyes are a blur with too much to do, it is easy to lose focus. Whatever it is that keeps us off balance, we begin to wear thin like a set of tires that are out-of-balance. We begin to feel the roughness of the road more and are able to control ourselves less.
- Balance.
A client once said her depression was like having a flat tire. She could keep going, but not nearly as fast and with much more damage. So, to really get on with her life, she had to deal with her depression. She had to stop and find out what had happened in her life. Then she could begin to fix what was torn and punctured. It is not easy work, but it is life-changing. Eventually she integrated the new skills she had learned. And then she was able to get on with her life with tools that kept her in balance.
At CENTUS Counseling, Consulting and Education, we realize that people as well as organizations can get out of balance and develop flat tires for any number of reasons -- too much work, too little play time, too many transitions and changes, unmet expectations (either yours or someone else's), fear, anger, financial uncertainty, loss, or betrayal. It can be true for clergy and congregations, for children, schools, families, and businesses. We are here to help you make the adjustments, to renew your energy, to reclaim balance in your life and in that of your organization. Our hope for you is that you will slow down enough to realize if you are out of balance. Then, take the time to seek out the resources that will help you shift your loads, to understand what has gone flat, and to develop the tools that will allow you or your organization to get on with life. Our hope is that you will feel balanced and able to reconnect with yourself, partners, family, co-workers, children, friends, and with God.