SOL 7/31 & Spritiual Journey First Thursday: Balance

It's the first Thursday of the month and time to show up with my friends at Spiritual Journey First Thursday. Today's post will combine my Slice of Life with my SJFT post. Our theme for this month is balance, Doraine's OLW for this year. She's rounding up our posts today at her blog, Yoga Inspired. Stop by and check out our community. It's a joy to celebrate our spiritual journeys together.  

I've had a stumbling block all day about writing this post. In order to write about balance, you need to have some experience with it. I feel mostly experienced with being unbalanced. I yearn to get all my ducks in a row, to learn to say no, to let go of outer expectations, and to quiet the distractions.

I couldn't think about balance without turning to one of my favorite books, Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea. She posits that "...women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves..." Then she goes on to say that it's not just about solitude or finding a "room of one's own," but about learning how "to still the soul in the midst of its activities." (Chapter 3, Moon Shell)

I find that I feel most in balance when I make time to be quiet and listen, often after reading scriptures, listening to inspirational music or praying. I'm reminded of a favorite scripture - "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)  And when I make time to be still and listen, I feel fortified and more balanced, I feel more capable of stilling the distractions and of feeling the love of my Savior. And it doesn't happen as often as I'd like, but I keep trying (and try is my OLW for 2019).