Skip to main content

Pendulum Living

It’s come to my attention that I live a life of extremes.  Granted, they are the extremes of a young, white woman living in the United States of America. (Important to take all things into context.)  But, the fact remains that I am a pendulum of emotion.  Not necessarily swaying between sad and happy (though there is that).  Most of the time, it’s swinging between tranquil and ecstatic.  Or calm, pensive and…karaoke-singing-bourbon-drinking-all-out-thrilled-about-life.

Both are part of me.  Neither of which I feel inclined to sacrifice.  But recently, I’ve found myself reflecting on where I am in the swing of things.  Longing for a better balance.  Somewhere between Bhutan and the bar down the street.  Life between savasana and the seventh glass of wine. 

It comes down to the Middle Path.  As Buddha taught, it’s finding the balance between seclusion and extravagance, austerity and indulgence.  Ironic actually, considering how I’ve avoided being in the middle most of my life.  The middle is plain, boring, uneventful.  I aspire to bold taste, strong opinions, dynamic existence.  I am not a middle person.  Which explains the pendulum, I guess.

It’s not so easy to find the center of the swing.  Physics doesn’t cater to a pendulum set in motion.  But so long as we have momentum, we can continue to strive for the balance.  It is not a thing of passive acceptance but of active achievement.  Here goes.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. JonahNovember 1, 2010 at 6:37 PM

    Read Hermann Hesse's 'Narzis and Goldmund' ... various spelling. Spellbinding work of your duality... its fun and easy / fast to read.

    Excellent work with the blog by the way ... finally I get to find out what you are up to.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Care about education? Want better for teachers? Vote like it

https://www.thestate.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article212727544.html?platform=hootsuite LETTER TO THE STATE EDITORIAL BOARD LINKEDIN GOOGLE+ PINTEREST REDDIT PRINT ORDER REPRINT OF THIS STORY June 11, 2018 07:18 PM Updated June 11, 2018 07:18 PM COLUMBIA, SC  Did you know that May was Teacher Appreciation Month in South Carolina? Yes, indeed; proclaimed by every governor since 2012. The gesture, much like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day (June 17, by the way), is an important reminder to acknowledge and celebrate a group of people who are pivotal in our lives. Of course, we all know that every day is Mother’s and Father’s Day, just like every month is Teacher Appreciation Month, right? I wish. Though South Carolina’s teachers have not staged walk-outs like their peers in other states, our educators are no less struggling with the burden of increasing responsibilities compensated by decreasing paychecks.  Contrary to popula...
Post a Comment
Read more

Southern Politics, of the Heart

In the early Spring of 2018, a mentor gave my name to the Chair of Georgetown County's Democratic Party — their convention was coming up, and would I consider providing the keynote address?  There is most definitely a first for everything.  I accepted with gratitude and a healthy amount of anxiety.  Below is an excerpt from my speech, which I'm sharing now because I know many good-hearted, rational folks shy away from politics.  I get it, it can be uncomfortable, and it's certainly been divisive of late.  But we've gotten to a point in our country where we can't afford you not showing up to cast your ballot.   So maybe my interpretation of politics helps you a little, or maybe it totally pisses you off — either way, I hope it nudges you towards the polls on November 6th.    *** I'm biased, but my name is pretty special. I inherited it from my grandmother, who was a pretty special woman.  Most people called the first Caroline M...
Post a Comment
Read more

Name of the New Game

Four years ago I moved home to be a part of a growing movement for civil rights and social justice in the South. I have learned many, many lessons and found great clarity along the way.  In these four years, I have confirmed that the Southern Powers That Be are— surprise —still quite conservative. Not only in political persuasion, but perhaps more consequentially in tolerance of risk, of trying new things, of investing in people and ideas that have moved the needle towards justice and equality.  In these four years, I have also confirmed my long-held belief that— surprise again —the South is not universally conservative. Courageous Southerners (native and adopted!) are working on reversing all manner of injustices incurred in this generation and those long past—from public education to women’s rights to justice reform and beyond. Many are my friends. All of them are my heroes.  And after four years of Life-As-A-Progressive-Southerner-Living-In-The-South, I ha...
Post a Comment
Read more