How important is it?

The autumn equinox has just passed, and so balance is on my mind. Day and night were in equal balance for just a moment, and now we tip into the dark time of the year, the Underworld.

Equinox by Molly Costello
Equinox by Molly Costello http://www.mollycostello.com

Actually, balance has been on my mind for a while now. A couple of weeks ago, at our Full Moon ritual, we used my Balance Guided Meditation to reassess the priorities in our lives.

And I’ve had a few conversations with friends recently about how to balance all the parts of our lives. We all seem to be so busy! Working more than one job, doing things on the side to make ends meet, going to classes (or teaching them) in the evenings, making time for family… Where’s the me time? What about exploring things just because we WANT to? Or the things that support our overall well-being?

The question that keeps coming up for me is how important is it? (And then the refrain from Walk Off the Earth’s song These Times: “I just don’t want it, I just don’t want it enough I guess”, which is totally me when it comes to exercise… I want to, but I don’t want it enough.)

For me, my spirituality and spiritual practice is vital. Being a priestess is an essential part of who I am and what I do. I can’t turn that part of myself off. I am sad and disappointed when I have to miss rituals or festivals. My spiritual family is as important to me as my biological family.

And while I understand that priority is not the same for everyone in my spiritual community, I always have a moment of disorientation when someone chooses another activity over spiritual practice. I have to remind myself that my priorities are not necessarily their priorities. I imagine others have the same experience with me since exercise is low on my priority list.

Not only do I have to ask myself how important something is to me, I need to remember to ask others how important a certain thing is to them. Because they may not want it as much as I do, and expecting them to is setting us both up for disappointment.

And asking myself how important something is helps remind me to not expect too much of myself, and not over-commit myself. In this way I avoid overwhelm, or disappointment about not being able to do everything I want to do. Well, sort of. I still get disappointed that I can’t do it all, however, I have more realistic expectations about what I am willing to sacrifice, and what I am NOT willing to sacrifice.

So, how important is it to you?

Blessings,

Mary