Today’s instruction was to work with the weights of things to create something balanced on a small point.

I rounded up my Haikubes and a couple wooden blocks from the kids’ toy bin. I selected and sorted words from the cube collection, grouping them to tell a story about my own daily balancing act. Then the balancing attempts began.

I tried several arrangements of the four blocks at each end of the makeshift seesaw—four high, two by two, and the flat arrangement you see here. Ultimately, no system was successful. Not once was I able to let go of the plank without at least some of the cubes clattering to the tabletop.

And that’s how it is, really. Maintaining steadiness in this full, happy life doesn’t just happen. It’s an effort. Even then, I’d be foolish to believe it will ever truly balance.

A few months ago, my friend and client, Deb Hornell, published Good Things for a Full Life, a book of 40 life lessons and thought-provoking questions designed to help readers create full, satisfying lives. I’m honored that Deb opened the first chapter with one of my poems, illustrating our shared belief that work/life balance is unrealistic. Researching, writing, and regularly revisiting “Balance is a Myth” (originally published here on this blog) have caused me to appreciate healthy asymmetry.