The Balancing Act

When I was little I loved going to the circus. Besides the clowns and animals, I always found it no less than thrilling to watch the balancing act. It usually consisted of one person walking across a thin cord that was placed so high I would have to sit on someone's shoulders just to see. Slowly, cautiously, the woman would walk. One foot in front of the other, steadily, consistently. Each time the cord shook there was an audible gasp from the audience. She would pause, regain balance, take a deep breath, and continue.
Sometimes I feel as though my life is the high, thin cord, and I am the girl walking across. One step at a time, I try to balance school work, horseback riding, working out, developing and maintaining friendships, everything. On ocassion I place too much emphasis on one of these, and I can hear my friends "gasping" in an effort to help me in my walk. Since I have moved to Waco I have paused in my effort to get to the end of the cord. My feet became shaky in a new environment. The pressure to perform made my muscles tired. There was too much to balance, too long of a way to go. However, like all good tight rope walkers, I re-evaluated and slowly, surely regained balance. It doesn't mean that my cord may never again catch me off balance, but simply that for the moment I am steady. I am learning to enjoy what life gives me in each moment. Moving on from that second of insecurity is a choice. Moving toward happiness is a choice. So, for now all I have to do is take a deep breath and place one foot in front of the other.