Striving for Balance

My mind has been turned to the importance of having balance in life. It seems that during the past year, I have yearned to have balance in my life.  There have been a short few days, when I have felt totally balanced; it was an amazing feeling. Unfortunately, the balance scale is mostly off and I feel like I'm living in chaos. The state of balance is where the mind, body and spirit work together in concert and give the optimum performance. When thinking of balance I can't resist thinking about the old Chinese philosophies of Yin Yang, Dharma, and Qi (chee).Yin and Yang symbolizes that everything has an opposite. There is no light without darkness, there is no good without bad.  When the opposites in our life are balanced, then we will feel peace. Dharma is personal responsibility combined with one’s social, familial, or professional duty—all with the concept of equilibrium or balance in mind. When thinking about what is most important in our life, it is essential to consider our Dharma; our Dharma will lead the way to have balance.  In a healthy body, Qi (energy) is balanced and flows without any impedance. It is my goal to have perfect balance in my life, when family, work, health, and spirituality meet in the middle and chaos no longer fills my mind.  In my perfect world, balance looks like this: 8 hours of rest each night, feeling refreshed in the morning.  Thirty minutes of exercise that includes cardio, aerobic, and mindfulness activities. Adequate time with my children and spouse each day. A hard days work without feeling exhausted and having a sense of accomplishment. Connection with God through prayer and scripture study.  Service to my fellowmen that doesn't take away from other tasks.  A clean home, nutritious food during meal time, and lots of laughter.  Am I being too demanding to have all of these things in my life at the same time? Is it realistic to have perfect balance in an unbalanced world of greed and ego centrism?  Share your thoughts with us. Have you ever had balance in your life?