Balance and the Autumn Equinox

Early this morning was the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere. At that point, Mother Earth was balanced and aligned. Already, her head is tilting, the northern hemisphere angling toward winter…but, for a moment, there was balance.

Our lives can be like that. Over my six-plus years of blogging, themes have emerged, as I mentioned last week. When I sat to write this post, I thought of the equinox and searched old posts for the word “balance.” I found quite a few, stretching back to early 2014. Then I wondered whether I had written any poems that included the word “balance”—and found a dozen. It was helpful to see the various frames of mind and heart that echoed through these poems, mostly written in 2016, in the months after we moved to Arizona and I was probably trying hard to adjust and find balance in my new home.

Work-wise, I had thought this past week would be a slow one, but it was not. Instead, it was packed with client projects and unexpected invitations. However, instead of feeling stressed and overwhelmed, as I sometimes have, I’m feeling replete and grateful. Somehow, even in the busyness, I am managing to maintain an internal balance—with a slight, grateful angling toward cooler weather (it’s finally in the upper 60s when I walk at 6 am!).

So, as a gift to you, in gratefulness for the gifts of balance—and in hopes that I might perhaps write more poetry in the coming season, here is one of my poems which mentions balance.

Challenged to Change

© Shirin McArthur

Every day brings

its own surprises,

colorful characters

romping across scribbled

calendar pages,

tripping over words

as meetings go flying,

sharp claws impaling holes in

well-defined plans.

Reach out your hand.

Be still and wait.

Once you settle,

one might

land on your outstretched fingers,

grasp for balance with tiny talons,

tilt feathered head and

stare into your eyes.

Happy Equinox! Where and how might you seek balance in your own life in this season?