Finding Balance

Fishing Huts at Petrie Island, 8" x 10", oil

Blog 5

This week I experienced my personal “Friday the 13th” day. It started right after I woke up and continued until I put on a meditation session just before I went to bed. 

As many of you know, I am a night owl. Dealing with any kind of important decision at 7 am is not my cup of tea. Talking of tea, before I start my day, I prefer to have a nice cup of tea and some quiet time for reading, before exercising and getting ready for work.

However, on that particular day, I was bombarded with important tasks which included contract negotiations, financial decisions and schedule changes due to the impending winter storm. All this was even more difficult to handle as we did not have any Internet access for most of the day. I was forced to cancel my online class and to postpone any of my administrative and marketing work. I would not have been in the right mindset for it anyhow. I felt like drowning in a heap of demands without having the time to consider my options.

Luckily, I still decided to take care of my health and went to my regular mobility class. What a relief it was to concentrate for an hour on something besides all the problems and the noise in my head! Unfortunately, the stress did not subside for long. Everything I touched seemed to be more difficult to master than on a regular day: I kept searching for missing documents and any of my many glasses because I constantly misplaced them. You probably all know days like this when you wonder why you got out of bed in the first place. On a positive note, a friend offered me her office to get my work done. However, during a short time with Internet access, I was able to finish and schedule my monthly newsletter at home, before heading out for a short walk with our dog in the quietly falling snow. 

The Path, 10" x 8", oil

The next morning, I still felt frustrated and worried. To clear my mind and get rid of the frustration, I went into the basement to work out with weights. After the workout, I felt good about myself, and my thoughts were so much clearer. I quickly finished up all my administrative and teaching duties, took our dog for a walk, and was able to retreat to my happy place, my studio. There, I finished my painting from this week's plein air outing to Petrie Island. While I was painting, I felt like being back at the side of the road at Petrie Island looking at the huts and enjoying myself. I was so energized that I also added some darker contrasts to the painting from a previous outing to Petrie Island. I finally found my balance again, and I am ready for new opportunities and challenges.

I could have stayed in my little burrow to feel sorry for myself, but by exercising and painting, I was able to be in the moment and concentrate on activities to calm down and re-energize. What activities do you choose to get rid of negative energy or strong emotions?

If you would like to bring more fun and balance into your life, please check out my spring schedule at www.kerstinpeters.ca/eventscourses/.