It's A Matter of Balance

We do it every day. And we can do it all day long, no problem. In fact we can do it for weeks or months with no issues what-so-ever.

This simple, easy thing is the act of standing up without falling over.

Most of us have dialed this one in long before we hit our first birthday, but, change just one little thing, and all of a sudden the task can seem almost impossible.

There is a current TV commercial in which a young woman climbs to the top of a spire and stands up on a patch of rock barely larger that her own shoes, surrounded by a lot of air and not much else. What is it about that situation that changes everything? Gravity still pulls in exactly the same direction, so assuming our semi-circular canals are functioning, we should be able to stand there all day. Yet the term 'dizzying heights' came from somewhere, and most of us would be so rattled by the change of perspective that we would probably fall off sooner rather that later(An ex-SO said she would be compelled to jump!?!). The lack of nearby familiar references, the comforting closeness of the floor for example, or a nearby wall make all the difference in the world. The hall stairway that looks so benign becomes sinister with the simple removal of the bannister. Take away our anchors, physical or emotional and we may be in trouble.

The same effect can happen to our emotional sense of balance. We live in comfortable emotional 'rooms' with solid 'floors' and 'ceilings' and 'walls' that define our perceptions. When we try on new ideas or find ourselves tugged in mutually exclusive directions the effects can be dizzying indeed. It really doesn't matter whether the challenges are tangible or ephemeral.

My personal paradigm has been shifted, and I feel a taste dizzy at the moment and reaching for an anchor. I think I'll go play my guitar. Happy New Year.