Weekly Words of Wellness Archive
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• Living in Relationships
• Gaining Healthy Perspectives
• Practicing Self Care
• Building Values
• Spirituality
Gaining Healthy Perspectives
"Momisms 2013"
"Strength of Character"
"The Chess Teacher"
"Assist Leaders"
"What the Pope Election Teaches Us About Making Good Decisions"
"What's Your Story?"
"The Eyes of Our Children Are Upon Us"
"Many Kinds of Help"
"Everyday Epiphanies"
"Receiving Gifts"
"Your Christmas Present"
"Top Secret"
"Driving With Our Lights Off"
"Learning To Be A Good Referee"
"Rocking The Message"
"Full Contact"
"Harder Assignments"
"Inspiring Others"
Living Water
"The Road Less Traveled"
"Momisms"
"Heightened Awareness"
"The Power of Prediction"
"Hope Against All Odds"
"A Whole New Light"
"Of Storms and Stories"
"Love and Delight"
"Presenteeism"
"Vocational Wellness"
"Outsourcing Our Resolutions"
"Unwrapping the Gift of Gratitude"
"As Sick As Our Secrets, As Well As Our Honesty"
"Your Current Balance"
"The Universal Wisdom of the Twelve Steps-Part 2""
"Back To School"
"Many Kinds of Love"
"The Best Time To Plant A Tree"
"Life Is Not A Spectator Sport"
"New Muscles"
"And To Dust We Shall Return"
"Listening to Whispers"
"Finding Our Voice"
"Light One Candle"
"Whatever We Pay Attention To Is What Will Grow"
"This Election Season, I Vote For......
“In the Autumn, Time Seems ‘Speeded Up’”
"Keeping the Problem, the Problem"
"Overcoming Homesickness"
Deep Wells and Deep Wellness
In Honor of the World Cup: "The Beautiful, Simple Game"
"What Does 45 degrees feel like"
"How Do You Spell Success?"
"The Best Olympic Race of All"
"Life In Our Years"
Ritual and Community
Rose-colored or Tortoise Shell?
Of Mowing and Mindfulness
Endings and Beginnings
You’ve Got Talent
May Your Easter Joy Be Solid This Year
Can We? Yes. Will We? Perhaps.
November 02, 2011
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"Your Current Balance"
The Rev. Dr. Scott Stoner
The last two weekends my wife and I have led retreats based on our Living Compass program on both coasts of our country. The first weekend we were in Westport, Connecticut, an hour outside of New York City. This past weekend we were in two cities in California--Sacramento and Sutter Creek. As different as these three communities are from one another, the people at each of the retreats all reported that they were looking for the same thing in their lives--a greater sense of balance.
This tells me a couple of things, both good and bad. The bad news is that maintaining a sense of balance in our lives is becoming more of challenge in our world today. The good news though is that people are more aware of the consequences of living chronically out of balance and are becoming more intentional about making the necessary choices that will bring greater balance and wellness to their lives.
I was thinking about balance when I stopped by my local bank this morning to make a deposit. When I finished the transaction the teller gave me my receipt which conveniently showed me my "current balance." Because I had just made a deposit, my current balance had increased. As I begin to make withdrawals of course my current balance will decline.
This same basic accounting principle applies to my current sense of life balance and personal wellness. If I have been making more deposits than withdrawals in my relationships with family and friends, then my current balance in that area of my life will be increasing. If I have been making more withdrawals than deposits in regards to my physical wellness, my current balance in that area of my life will be decreasing. If that trend continues I will become overdrawn and will most likely become sick. At that point I will have to start making some deposits regarding my physical wellness in order to restore my health.
The current balance in terms of my emotional and spiritual balance works the same way. The ratio of deposits and withdrawals I have been making will determine whether I am experiencing health or "dis-ease" in these areas of my life. A chronic feeling of tiredness or exhaustion is usually a warning sign that I have been making more withdrawals than deposits in the areas of my spiritual and/or emotional wellness.
Your bank is the best place to turn to find out the current balance of our checking account. Who can you turn to help you find out your current balance in terms of wellness and wholeness? The best person to turn to for this is you! Take a few minutes--maybe even right now-- to reflect on your state of physical, spiritual, emotional and relational wellness. Listen to what your body, heart, soul, and relationships are telling you. Where do you find yourself in or out of balance right now? In what areas of your life have you been making more withdrawals than deposits? Decide on a few specific deposits you can begin making right now to correct any current imbalances.
Maintaining our wellness and wholeness is as simple as checking our current balance on a regular basis and then changing the ratio of deposits to withdrawals in the areas that need rebalancing. It is as simple as that and as hard as that, as we learned from our recent retreat experiences. The rewards are so worth the effort though, not just for ourselves, but for everyone else in our lives.
So next time you are making a deposit at the bank, stop and reflect on what other kinds of deposits you can make to enhance your current balance and wellness in your life. And besides, don't we all want to avoid the discomfort and embarrassment of becoming overdrawn?
