The Balancing Act

The more I think about it the more I ultimately come to the definitive conclusion that life truly is one huge balancing act. And I think that is the way God intended it to be as well. I know that our purpose for being on Earth is to be tested and for our Heavenly Father to see what we will choose when it really comes down to it - good or evil. But what about all the other things in between?

Most days when I wake up I don't feel like I'm having to decide between true good and evil choices. I'm not going to go rob a bank; I'm not gonna kidnap a small child, i'm not gonna put explosives in your mailbox(unless you've really pissed me off)or attempt to ruin someone's day in anyway. The most common battle that I undertake each day is more about how to balance and prioritize the hopefully good decisions that I need to make every day.

Finding a good balance can be really hard. With all the opportunities and options the world we live in offers us, it can be overwhelming trying to decide what we should chose, how much of it to chose, and when to chose it! For example, having a job is obviously something wonderful, something that provides us with satisfaction, self worth, growth...etc. It's important to work hard in life. But where do you draw the line? We've all known workaholics that seem to do more of that than anything else in life. So work is a good thing...but only in moderation and if it is properly balanced with other important things. Let's not be lazy, but there are so many other important things in life aside from a career. The same thing goes for the flip side. Life is meant to be enjoyed and meant for fun, but a life lived solely to seek after pleasure isn't very fulfilling either and your personal growth becomes stagnant. I believe that this is a huge challenge we are all faced with - to find that balance.

Aside from just the work and play balance, I think there are many other daily choices we have to analyze in our minds to determine what to do and how much of it to do in order to keep that balance. Just the simple decisions on what you fill your time with. For example - the internet. I can hardly remember life without the internet, but I do remember dial-up and AOL! Now the internet is such a huge part of our lives, and truly such a blessing for so many reasons! I recently started doing family history and having the internet machine to search around on and use for research is incredible. How did people do it before?? And so many simple easy questions can be answered with one search on Google. Planning out a trip to Ireland becomes super easy when you have access to so many reviews and tour sites all just a click away. Or using YouTube to learn how to dance like Micheal Jackson. So many more things available to us that just wouldn't even be possible 15 years ago. It's amazing. And now we have facebook to reconnect us with all our BFFs from kindergarten and to stay in touch with strangers that become friends while sitting next to them on airplanes.

But we also know that too much of this good thing can also be bad. I hate thinking about lost hours I've spent on facebook that could've been used for something more productive. Something that would help me grow, something that would help me improve as a person. Sure, staying in touch and checking out cool pictures someone posted is not a bad thing at all. But staying up until 2 in the morning talking to people or looking at posts most likely won't help you become a better person. What I mean is, to add up empty hours spent there and calculate how these hours could have been spent at the gym, reading scriptures, cleaning your room, reading a good book, helping a friend or someone else in need, working on/developing one of your hobbies...etc...it can be a little depressing. It's like an opportunity cost calculation. I could chose to do this for a while today...and it's fine...but what am I missing out on because of it? The thing is that there is nothing wrong with facebook, or blogs, or YouTube, or watching TV and other entertaining (but mostly mindless) things - once again the key here is balancing. This one can be particularly hard - have you ever noticed how quickly time can fly by when you're stalking someone on facebook? Uhh I mean....watching YouTube videos...

Anyways there are a bazillion things I could think of that are great things, but only in moderation.. but this blog is already super long and now it seems completely ironic that I’ve spent an hour writing this blog while talking about how balance is important and spending too much time online can be bad. Haha. Oh well. And now you've had to spend way too much of your time reading this long thing. Sorry!!! I totally lied when I said my blogs would get short.

With all this being said, there's no need to stress out and calculate each hour of our lives and make sure that it is all productive and balanced. That's way too much, and I am definitley not an anal person by nature and typically don't think there is ever a need to be. However, I think if we just have the main goal of balance and moderation in our lives that the daily decisions will become clear and we will know when things might be out of balance and are in need for some fine tuning. I really feel like the balance is one of our largest lessons and something that we continually learn and relearn throughout our lives. That's what life is all about - constant learning and consistent growing. Dr. Suess will totally agree with me as he said,
“Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.”
What a brilliant Doctor.

Survival Guide

So this post does not fall in line with my typical postings. It’s just something I felt like writing about. It’s not necessarily thoughts or any great quotes on ways to improve your life, however, it could be helpful if you find yourself in one particular situation.

I often find myself putting myself in “what if” scenarios and deciding in my head what I would do “just in case.” It’s totally relevant because if I ever find myself married to a robot or framed for a crime I didn’t commit I will know exactly what to do because the situation has been well thought out beforehand. One common scenario that I think about is “what if I was homeless?” I feel like I have come up with some pretty good ideas and strategies to get by that I think I’d survive – and not only survive, but I’d do it with style! So if that day ever comes that I’m on the streets and its survival of the fittest – I’ve got it covered. Here are my thoughts:

First of all – who needs to beg for money for food when you could get three perfectly good meals on your own – no cash needed. That’s right – Costco provides. Yeah yeah yeah, I know you need a membership, but really how often do they stop you completely upon entrance to check your card? Rarely. The only time you really need it is when you purchase. And purchasing is not necessary when there are FREE SAMPLES!! I remember going there on Saturdays as a kid with my dad and by the time we had savored all the delicious samples (and maybe gone back for seconds a couple times) we were full as could be, no need to stop for lunch on the way home! So I’d pick the times of the day when Costco has the most traffic and just enter in with one of the crowds. Maybe stand next to a family with kids and act like I’m the oldest sister, or maybe the crazy Aunt. Of course, if you look like a rugged homeless person this will attract unneeded attention, which is why the next piece of advice is crucial.

Beach showers. I’d definitely clean myself up once in a while. The better you look as a homeless person I’m sure the better your chances are of getting a job eventually and getting out of this unfortunate position. You may not want to get completely naked in such a public place, but I’m sure you could get a good pair of board shorts, speedos, or swimsuit (whatever you prefer) from a thrift store with change you can find on the street. Although wearing a used swimsuit isn’t high on my list of things I’d want to do at this point, desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyways, they have showers all over the beaches that are open for free use. This is why it’s also important to be a coastal bum. I never understood why there were so many homeless people in places like New York, DC, or even San Francisco. Talk about inclement weather! Get outta there!! I’d venture west, and not just west, I’d be sure to make it down to Southern California where the sun shines year round and there are zero chances I’ll be sleeping on a bed of snow and very low chances of getting consistently rained out. 75 degrees throughout most of the year makes for some great weather for outdoor living. Hawaii would be the best place, but I just don’t see how one would make it over there unless you were fortunate to start out there in the first place. So before you hit up Costco for free samples make sure you rinse down and repeat a few times. However, you can’t just rinse down – you must use soap and shampoo/conditioner if at all possible, which leads me to my next recommendation.

This is where it gets tricky. I don’t like to condone or suggest any unethical behavior, and even if I were a bum living in the most extreme conditions I’d like to think I’d remain an ethical person. So I’m not sure how bad this one is on the Richter scale of naughtiness …BUT….I’ve always thought about how in most hotels they give out those tiny shampoo/conditioner bottles and soap bars like candy. I mean, even if you hardly use a dab, when the maid comes in to clean the next day they replace the old bottles with completely full new ones. Shampoo/conditioner and soap aplenty! I’m not sure if they throw the used bottles away or what they might do with them. Somehow I think it would be pretty easy to get your hands on those sample size goodies. Whether you grab a few off the maid’s cart while she’s in the room, or maybe you even ask - I’m sure they would be willing to spare a few bottles for someone in need. Even if it is the bottles that have been slightly used! With these items you’re good to go and looking sharp. Maybe even ready for an interview if you can work on the wardrobe.

As for a place to live, I’d save up for a tent. I like privacy and even though the weather in Southern California is usually very nice, the winter nights can get cold and having a tent to at least shield the wind would be nice. I’d probably scope out beaches that weren’t highly patrolled and set up shop there until I got kicked out. Then maybe head to some field in Riverside if that didn’t work out. Another thing I’d save up for – a battery powered radio/CD player. Music makes me happy, and if I have music playing I think I’d be a happy bum. I’d blast my music in my tent and invite people over for dance parties and dance away regardless if anyone joined me or not. Which leads me to my last aspiration as a homeless person.

Networking. If I were a homeless person I would make friends with other homeless people. Id’ be the most popular bum west of the Mississippi. People would know me by name. Not only can you combine resources, but you would have COMPANY and FRIENDS! Life can’t ever be that bad if you are loved and have people to love. Rather than seeing them as competition I’d try to unite as one and be kind of like a club. I’d hang out with them all the time and go on lots of adventures. Plus, strength in numbers if anyone ever tried to mess with our stuff. Not only would I try and find friends, but I’d try to find a homeless boyfriend. Honestly, I really think that when you are love no matter what life throws at you, you seem to find a way to be happy. One thing I LOVE about LOVE is that ANYONE can feel those feelings. Fat, skinny, poor, rich, black, white, Cuban, weird, with home or without home we can all feel that exact same feeling. The feeling of being in love. And it’s great!! So I would find an eligible homeless man and ask him out. I think our first date would be taking a walk on the beach or something like that. Anyways, hopefully sparks would fly and we’d eventually fall in love. Then you know how people get when they’re in love – they say things like “I don’t care where I live or where life takes me as long as I’m with you.” Yep, being homeless wouldn’t matter so much anymore. However, if we did want to get married and have a family then someone better find a job!

I know I’m not the only weird one that thinks about this stuff. In fact, I was talking to a couple of my friends the other night that had their own ideas about what they would do if they were homeless, and I didn’t even bring the conversation up! So I’m curious…what would YOU do if you were homeless??? Any other ideas you’ve had and anymore advice you have to any homeless people reading this blog?