The Balance Scale of Life

Life is one big balance scale, like the ones used to show the scales of justice. Only the balance scale of life has more than two pans to place the experiences of our days.

I was so excited to get on the scale this morning and realize I was down to 206 pounds. On January 2, 2007 I weighed 216, the most I’ve ever weighed! I have been a member of TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) for about 6 years. When I started TOPS I weighed 208 pounds. I often hear that the program must not be working if I still weigh so much, but I consider it a blessing to have such a group. If I hadn’t found TOPS, and the friends that came with being in TOPS, I could easily weigh about 100 pounds more.

On my husband’s 40^th birthday he had a biopsy on his left pelvic bone. On my 40^th birthday he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). We battled his cancer together until he passed away at age 47. Food was a comfort to me a lot of times when my husband was ill. Without TOPS and the accountability of going into the weigh-in room every week, I might not have been able to control my weight as well as I did.

I have decided that this is the year that I need to put myself close to the top of my priorities and gain control of my eating habits, and taking care of my health so that I could be here for my boys, and hopefully my grandchildren. I have been walking at least 12 miles a week, and making better food choices. I am trying to keep my average daily calorie intake at less than 1300 calories, and staying away from fast food as much as possible.

So today when I stepped on the scale and saw the scale move down, I saw a boulder being lifted off one side of my pans on my balance scale of life. Unfortunately, the boulder just seemed to move to another pan.

I don’t know if the balance scales of life are ever in perfect balance. I think the secret is to enjoy the days that are close to balanced, and accept the days they are all out of kilter, and do the best we can to have more balanced days than not.

My scales are in balance when I have had a chance to hold my boys, speak to a friend, read a couple of chapters in a good book, have a conversation with my mom that did not end in total frustration, and I have not had any new problems arise with my house.