{bettering}

Balance is one heckuva word.  It evokes notions of peace.  Calm & equal are adjectives that come to mind when I think of the "not falling off-edness" I tend to equate with balance.  Weight and space is evenly distributed.  Direction is a hopeful forward with steps back only to regain composure and footing.  Bettering one's position with an invested energy output and a deliberate sense of concentration is everything inside this 7 letter word.

And don't you just know some who are absolute beam supremes of life?  They keep it all on the bar.  Rarely deterred by distractions and set backs.  Zoned in, they move this life something fanatical.  It's not that they're perfect.  At least that's not what I see in these kinds of people.  It's that they're driven for better.  Not just in themselves, but in their surroundings. In the lives they touch and in the outward they send.  Deliberate they are for truth.  Hopeful they are for a deeper part of themselves to know.  Inspired they are to leave their environment & community stops better off than the time they were last there.

I am in pursuit of balance.  That's one of the things I'm bringing to Christmas this year.  The pursuit to be more in one motion.  To be more upward and to be less distracted by the absolute white noise of this life.  The incessant hums of complacency that I so easily allow to fill my brain.  This Christmas is a clearing one for me.  A once-again wipe down of the monotonous cobwebs of my heart.

It's a gift that's free to give.  It's one that's audaciously wrapped with potential and freedom. And all it takes it the desire to get back on the bar.  Below I've listed my footings that will keep me moving forward with hope, healing & strength to know this 7 lettered balance a little bit more.

1.  Rest.

I am learning slowly that I am just one.  I am learning even faster that my time here is better when I have more to offer myself and others.  As busy as this life has me, I am reminding myself that taking the time to stop and rest increases my output and resets my person for the jobs & tasks ahead.

2.  Dream.

Matisse is one of my favorite artists.  I love his artwork.  I love the idea that art is just exactly what you believe it to be.  Dreaming gives me that exact courage to make my hopes become baby footsteps towards real.  Now more than ever I am clinging to this wonderful courage to dream. In the gifts God has given me, I find a holy passion towards doing them with vigor & absolute zeal.

3.  Love.

Gosh, I love my husband.  I think on him more now than I ever did when we dated.  And balance comes a bit more for me when I remind myself to love him in the little ways.  To find joy in being with him even when there is no money for hot dates.  Even when we have so much going on.  His presence in my life brings me to center on this big ole beam.

4.  Do.

When I feel the tug in my heart, act on it.  Worry less about how to fit it all in.  Take the food to a family in need.  Pick up a shift for a friend.  Send the note.  Drop off the flowers at the door. Act when your heart calls.  Making these outfits for my nieces is the reminder that when you act from your heart, your time is never in vain. For your heart grows when what's pressing inside is let out to love.

5.  Ingest.

Good things.  Water.  Veggies.  Wonderful textures & flavors too.  I, oftentimes, find myself in food ruts.  Where the uphill to climb out of the chip-n-dip ditch is just.too.hard.  But the more I remind myself of how much better I feel when I choose colorful healthy over bland processed, the better steward I am to my calories.

6.  Move.

On Christmas Day of 2007, I gave myself the gift of running.  Inactive since 1998, I let 9 years of complacency deteriorate my body's strength & stamina.  Currently, I'm running 18 miles a week and gleaning all kinds of gloriousness from the endorphin release.  My body feels strong.  I have more energy.  I re-gift myself this gift every Christmas and am so happy I do.

7.  Enjoy.

Be silly more.  I usually have this on repeat inside my head, "Everything doesn't have to be hard, Meg."  No joke.  I am driven by the demons of perfection.  And those ghosts tend to haunt me to perform way more than I care to admit.  But guess what?  I can face those spooks.  I do face them.  Every single time I climb back on the bar and choose to let go and lighten up.

8.  Pray.

Today is my niece's 25th birthday.  This prayer to my Heavenly Father about her is my reminder to speak to God more. Less worry with the formalities.  More words.  More scribbled love notes.  More tears & whispers.  More high-fives & thankyous. He gets'em.  He wants them. I need them.

9.  Delight.

Find those little things that can make my heart happy.  Like fresh cut flowers on clearance and my favorite lotion before bed time.  Like nightgowns and snuggles with my boys. And little splurges when I can swing them from time to time.  Big gulps of fresh air that's free & phone calls or silly text messages to some of my best girlfriends.  Making plans to see the people I call mine.  Life is here.  I'm working to make it beautiful in my best way.

Nine steps towards balance.  Nine movements directing a hopeful forward with steps back only to regain composure and footing.  Bettering.  It's a gift under my tree.  Can you relate to any of these gifts? Do you have one similar that you need to wrap with the tag >>> From: ME To: ME.  

To read all posts from this {bringing to Christmas} series, visit here.

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