Leading a Balanced Life

This past week marked the first week of my summer break.  It has been great!  I decided to take a break from being super productive on Monday.  I wanted to give myself a day off.  It has been a pretty crazy and super busy last month or so with ending a school year, packing up my classroom, and planning a family reunion.  I finally had time to catch a breath from life's busyness.  It was really nice, and I think it's critical to plan breaks in our life to keep us sane and healthy.

Then, this week also brought some time to have fun.  I was able to go to an end of the school year celebration dinner with my family, enjoy a pedicure by my sis-in-law, pick up my brother and sisters and treat them on their last day of school, go to dinner and full moon ski lift ride in Sundance with a great group of girls, have brunch with a great friend (my soon to be boss), and celebrate eight years of teaching with my friend, Jen (we taught next door to each other our first year).

In addition, this week allowed for temple attendance, scripture study, and preparation for teaching in Relief Society.  These activities allowed for the spiritual foundation that is necessary in today's world.  This is a crucial aspect to allow for time of direction and comfort to tackle difficult trials and struggles.   

Finally, I was able to organize my to do list of those things that I really want to get done before I head back to work on July 18th.  Yesterday allowed me to tackle a great number of tasks on my list and....IT FELT GREAT!  I shared with my mom how great it feels to be productive.  It provides such a wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It brought to mind the following scripture, "Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;"  (D&C 58:27).  I felt like my day had been well spent as I went to bed last night.  

Thus, I see that filling our time with good, meaningful activities allows one to press forward and take part in those things that will better our lives and help us feel more balanced in life.  It is necessary to take time to rest, have fun, seek the Spirit, and be productive.  It is necessary that we have a healthy balance.  One can't lead a worthy life as a workhorse or as a partier.  We must take time to reflect and make a plan of how we are to find balance and sanity in our lives.  

PS I was looking at my calendar for the remainder of my summer and realizing how full it is.  I must remember that this allows me to fill my time with worthwhile tasks, not allowing for too much idleness.  On the other hand, I will need to remember to take time for myself so that I don't become unbalanced.