Walking the Tightrope

Good morning everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! We are getting very close to the holiday season and the stresses of it can, at times, unbalance us. The quote for today was chosen with exactly that in mind.

"We can be sure that the greatest hope for maintaining equilibrium in the face of any situation rests within ourselves". Fracis J. Braceland 
How many times have you wanted to pull out your hair, have a stiff drink or even a cigarette when faced with stressful situation? I know that I have been in that predicament numerous times myself. I was letting things that I couldn't control, effect the way I was reacting. As my husband so cleverly stated, I have a reactive personality by nature and because of that,  I need to take charge of those reactions instead of just letting circumstances, people and their choices, effect me. It is easier said than done. My reactions are now somewhat habitual. They are definitely comfortable and the norm for me and so stepping outside of that sphere can be very difficult, but it is worth it. Just like I can't control the weather, there are a lot of other things I can't control either. I can't control how the woman in the check out line is arguing with the cashier, making it take much longer for me to get out of the store. All I can do is choose a new line up to enter into. I can't control how some people drive with careless abandon, making unsafe decisions, other than to be watchful that their choices don't cause me to have an accident. I can't control how the holidays sometime bring out the Grinch's of the season other than to wish those people joy and love. I definitely can't control the circumstances that have molded others into the people they have become but I can choose how I react to them all. This is the realm of inner balance that this quote is talking about. This is that magical place inside each of us that finds calm within our own personal storms, that has a clear perspective of everything we are facing and allows us to make calculated decisions about how to proceed. This is the place unaffected by the actions, choices and opinions of others unless we decide to become affected by them. If we are balanced here, then we can become balanced everywhere, no matter what life is throwing at us. I hope that everyone can keep this truth in mind the next time they are faced with a stressful situation. It really is our choice how we react to any given circumstance. 
Namaste, walk in balance.