Life requires balance

Have you ever seen a balanced stack of stones while walking along the beach or a trail or in a riverbank? I think these simple structures are very interesting art forms. They are non invasive, all natural, esthetically pleasing, and best of all impermanent. And I make them everywhere. My favorite place to balance stones is in riverbeds. When visiting the forests of the east coast it is a family custom to walk barefoot for hours along side or in any inviting stream, creek or river we find. Preferably one that isn’t commonly overrun with people –these are more likely to have broken glass.
Balancing stones takes a singular focus of mind and muscle. When balancing each stone you have to feel how it connects to the supporting stone. I enjoy this connection. Focusing on how the stone is shaped and where it‘s weight is distributed and positioning it for the best support can be time consuming and frustrating. Failure is common and usually comes with bruised fingers and toes. But I really love the result.
I try to look at my relationships with friends and family in a similar manner. Each person has their shape, their center, and certainly they all have a connection to their support. Some people are well supported and some aren’t. Some people are perfectly capable of balancing the weight of others and some can barely manage to stay upright. Then there are those rare people who are well balanced in every position. These folks are good foundations for whoever relies on them for support.
Most people can balance for a good long time. This balancing act is referred to as “juggling” in my circle of friends. Many of them are juggling an aging parent, college aged children, and their own issues. But one thing is for sure balance is impermanent. The stones we stand will fall.
Life requires us to realize at an early age that we have to be able to focus on the stones that are still balanced after a collapse. We need to focus on learning how to let the stones fall where they may as we juggle our lives or balance ourselves with others.
So I have taught my kids to balance stones. They are good at it as long as those stones are not too heavy or oddly shaped. My wife on the other hand does not worry about balancing stones. She prefers to just sit on a large foundation stone and be there to comfort bruised fingers, when the stones were balancing come falling down.

Balanced stones will fall.