BALANCE
Seek balance.
Balance emotions with reason.
Combine detachment with doing our part.
Balance giving with receiving.
Alternate work with play, business with personal activities.
Balance tending to our spiritual needs with tending to our other needs.
Juggle responsibilities to others with responsibilities to ourselves.
Balance caring about others with caring about ourselves.
Whenever possible, let's be good to others, but be good to ourselves too.
Some of us have to make up for lost time.
Today, I will strive for balance.
~ Melody Beattie, "The Language of Letting Go"
Balance to me is combining the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical aspects of my life - purposely giving attention to each so my life remains steady and on course preparing me for whatever comes my way . . . ~ mjk 11/30/2018
First and foremost, I am grateful to Pastor Robert A. Olson, who challenged me in confirmation to pursue and find answers to my many questions about the story of creation (according to the Bible), the life and death of Jesus Christ, and everything about my life thereafter. I have spent many years reading the Bible, attending church and Bible Study groups, and reading and listening to men and women of faith in an effort to find a sense of connection to the triune God. It continues to be a life-long pursuit.
I am also grateful to Mary Ann Donaldson, MSW, for her counseling in spirituality as it related to my psychological issues. I had the opportunity to participate in a pilot program, "InJourney", intended to promote psychological and spiritual growth. It was led by Mary Ann and Pastor Sandy Larson over a period of about 8 weeks. She touched and impacted my life in such a positive way. I'll hold onto her teachings for the rest of my life.
"Just to be is a blessing . . . Just to live is holy"
Again, I am especially grateful to Mary Ann Donaldson, MSW, for her counseling in psychological and spirituality issues so I could move on in my life. It was a good start to taking care of myself. She helped me to change my life forever.
As I have said before, I am most grateful to Mary Ann Donaldson, MSW, for her counseling in psychological issues from my past. It was a great start to moving through change and admitting I only had control over my own life. She helped prepare me to begin the next part of my journey.
I am also grateful to Beverly Klug, MA, LMFT, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, for her program on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and counseling that enabled me to continue moving forward in my life and my pursuit to take care of myself. This program goes hand-in-hand with the book, "Full Catastrophe Living, Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness", by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.
I am grateful for Sally Willoughby, Certified Health Coach, Personal Trainer, and PN Level 1 ProCoach, who in 2017 was my personal trainer for 6 months before she moved away. She got me going on a exercise program that I am implementing for the rest of my life.
This December 2018, my husband and I are completing our year long program with Sally through PN Coaching. We started off with goals like losing weight, toning, eating better, etc. However, we have achieved so much more. She really wanted us to explore our deeper motivations and goals for doing the program.
The result is daily habits promoting changes for a life-time affecting the emotional, mental and physical aspects of our lives. She is more than a coach, she is my friend . . .
