Posts Tagged ‘balance’
Small Stones
In the realm of balancing stones, oftentimes, smaller ones are more challenging. While the balance might be less robust, frequent collapses are generally harmless and the re-balancing can be accomplished with minor effort. I had stones on my desk at work and would frequently close a drawer too hard and dislodge the top one in a stack of three.
There is a nurturing profundity in the exercise of repeatedly returning the stone to its previous balance.
Of course, in that instance, it was always just the top one that rolled away. A stack like the one pictured above would more likely involve them all tumbling down.
I am often intrigued by the mean time between toppling. It is a frequent surprise that a balance lasts much longer than I expect would be likely.
Small stone stacks as workspace trinkets are pretty much contradictory choices unless the desk is solid and the work is sedate. In more precarious environs, I see the small three-stone setup as available for temporary balancing diversions that can otherwise be allowed to lay around unstacked.
Three stones set in single-plane arrangements are no less enticing to a discerning eye. The energy of elements is still present.
Next time you see some eye-catching stones lying about, pick them up and experiment with balancing them, one on top of the next.
You just might find yourself keeping a stack as ornamentation on your desk.
They are pieces of our planet that provide a pleasant rock-solid reminder of our natural world for times we are stuck indoors.
And couldn’t we all do with a little more balance in our lives?
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Lucky Balance
First off, you should know that by simply bringing up this subject, I am totally jinxing the longevity of this latest installation of balanced rocks, however, this one has already outlasted my wildest expectations.
You just never know how long any “sculpture” will last when it comes to the unrehearsed balancing of random stones. This gem is perched on the stump of the most recently dispatched dead pine tree in the yard just beyond the front door of our house.
I was walking past the stump on some unrelated task one day when inspiration struck. I checked the nearby grove of trees for a big enough rock to make a good impression. I needed one that was also small enough that I could still lift it. I rolled it into position, which wasn’t easy at all because as you can see it was not of a rolling shape.
With some serious grunting and an unwise risk to my back, I finessed the beast upwards to the top of the stump. Then I headed to the rocks strewn about the landscaping around the house in search of a suitable size and shape for the upper balance.
It stood up in place with minimal coaxing. Balance was achieved so simply, I figured it might not last very long. Now, over three weeks later, it has survived the heavy snowfall, several days of high winds, a couple nights of significant freeze, and this week, record heat.
I got lucky.
Sometimes, it’s the ones I put in the least effort to accomplish that end up having the greatest longevity.
But not always.
There is one little set of three rocks that I assembled in the woods along our perimeter trail that is collapsed almost every time I walk by.
The difference is subtle to the point of being beyond my level of mastery.
Here’s hoping the ones in our front yard, pictured above, are unaware of what I’ve just written about them.
I am rather fond of seeing how they look from different perspectives as I walk past at all times of the day or night.
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Energy Flow
The intensity of the tug and pull of emotions lately is more drastic because it reflects dramatic extremes playing out, one on top of another. We don’t have time to comprehend the full depth of one calamity before the next arrives to take its place. But with no time between, the issues tend to compound which begins to tip the balance of our energy scales.
I have felt my own energy swaying dramatically from high to low lately, in light of the climate disasters complicating the challenges of coping with the ongoing virus pandemic at a time when repeated white-on-black police violence has brought systemic racism to higher visibility just as the election season revs up the intensity of one-sided fact manipulating.
At the same time, family birthdays and anniversary opportunities have been augmented with measured time among friends, bringing great joy and fulfilling peacefulness.
The glint of familiar eyes; stories of ingenious pandemic-coping accomplishments by strangers who join forces to help others; a slice of incredible lemon meringue pie, served outside after a backyard meal; a playful family cat chasing in circles after a soon-to-be-favorite new toy.
There are always features of good and bad mingling in our everyday lives but not usually with such depth of emotion as we are seeing today. It can become exhausting.
It is more important than ever that we pay attention to that exhaustive impact and put in whatever effort is needed to compensate.
We need to give ourselves permission to not feel our best every minute of every day. Claim some time of your own where you can shut out all news and focus exclusively on yourself and immediate surroundings. Bring some balance back to your energy for coping with the swings in every direction. Refill your own tank by finding a way to give to someone in greater need.
I’ve been thinking about some of the negative news and views of powerful people lately and this occurred to me: Have they not seen “A Christmas Carol? Isn’t it a given by now that selfish and abusive behavior is on the wrong side of all that is right and good?
Where are all our ghosts of past, present, and future when we need them?
There are far too many people in power who need to receive a visit to rebalance their senses of what it is to become one’s best self.
It’s a good day to go find a slice of your favorite pie.
Balance your energy flow!
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Precarious Perch
I would love to have been watching the action when this unlikely balance resulted. We’ve got a new “situation” not far off-trail in our woods today.
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It is so high that I’d rather not mess with trying to bring it down. Imagine what must have happened when that snapped off, tipped into the adjacent branches and then dropped back onto the trunk from which it had come. Impressive.
I would prefer that we soon have another high-wind event to wiggle the trees enough to dislodge that precarious perch so we don’t have to do it ourselves.
We probably have enough rope to toss a line over to pull it down, but I’m not too keen about spending much time beneath it.
For all the “widow-maker” half-fallen trees we endlessly see in our small acreage of woods, this one is a rarity.
Maybe our forest bathing excursions should require hard hats.
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Balance Restored
The wind blew all day yesterday, helping greatly to dry things out. Then it rained. This morning, the horse blankets and rugs that Cyndie had washed and hung out to dry, all got a second rinse and are in desperate need of some spring wind and sunshine to assist with the re-drying.
Oh well, that’s balance for you. Wet and dry, a little of both.
I found my balance again yesterday when my idea for a way to drill and file the off-center holes worked like a charm and progress resumed on Cyndie’s new double swing. All that I have left to do is figure out the gaps in the instructions where they failed to clarify locations for the remaining screws. Why do they provide pilot holes in some places, but not all?
Meanwhile, I worked on restoring order on the deck, driving raised nails back down where they belong, so I could bring out the deck furniture. That was a chore I have been avoiding since we got here, because it reveals the truth about how bad some of the rot is on several floor boards. Deck repair and/or replacement has now moved up on our list of priorities.
Why is that chair sitting out in an odd location? Because I don’t want anyone to step on the spot it is covering. I have already needed to overcome my natural inclination to move it, twice, when I remembered why I put it there.
Our kids and Cyndie’s brother’s families are visiting for the afternoon, so the morning will be filled with cleaning and preparations, then the rest of the day, eating and entertaining. Nicely balances out the usual daily demands of non-stop work on projects. The paddocks won’t receive much attentions, but the horses will probably enjoy a fair share of treats.
All is well today at Wintervale.
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Seeking Balance
I enjoyed a chance to sleep in this morning and awoke to a blustering spring wind. I hope it will help dry out the fresh mud created by last week’s inch and a half of rain. It is a frustrating thing to need moisture for the trees which have been weakened by drought, yet to desperately want the ground to not be so saturated that we can’t walk or drive vehicles without sinking and creating ruts. We need to have just the right balance.
Is there such a thing? Probably not a static state of balance, but everything is constantly flowing toward equilibrium. It is why there is so much wind this morning.
As Elysa and I were chatting to solve the world’s problems yesterday while breaking up manure piles remaining in the big hay-field, it was balance that we concluded was needed. I’ve been repeating something regularly since I learned of it, that horses demonstrate a brilliant ability to quickly get over conflict and “get back to grazing.” That gives rise to a natural flow toward balance.
We put the horse’s balance to test yesterday, by haltering just two at a time and taking them for a little stroll around the property. Each time, the remaining two demonstrated quite a bit of separation distress, working themselves into a frenzied anxiety, whinnying and running the fence line and occasionally slipping dangerously on the sloppy mud. Our herd has become so bonded that they over-react to being separated. We will need to increase the frequency of these little excursions to help them become more balanced when being apart.
I had my own opportunity last night to practice reclaiming balance after coming upon a frustrating problem while trying to assemble our precious new double glider swing we bought online. Previously unbeknownst to me, Cyndie has a strong connection to memories of a double swing her grandmother had. In the middle of our new storage room construction, Cyndie presented me with a set of plans she purchased for building a swing like she remembers, asking me to see if the guys working downstairs would be interested in making one for us. She hadn’t been able to find the right one for sale locally, so she figured we would have to build it ourselves, or find someone who could do it for us.
I did present the idea to them, but I also checked online myself, coming up with a variety of possibilities. Most enticing was one made from cedar logs, which would match the single swing we already have out by our outdoor fire pit. That is the one I am now trying to assemble, meeting with a variety of sadly typical problems I run into on all projects such as this.
First, it was getting a screw stuck before figuring out the best angle and method to get it to work as described in the instructions. Now progress has been halted by the manufacturer’s poor quality drilling. Three out of eight holes are off-center to the point I can’t align threads to start an eye-bolt. I’m going to have to try to elongate one of the holes (3 times) to get back to progress.
Let’s just say that I was finding myself a little out of balance when I finally had to give up and put away tools with my cold hands, putting things on hold for the night. It’s a chance to practice my own skills of “getting back to grazing.”
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Relative Something 