The Sacred Balance

By David Suzuki. A really heavy read for me, bringing me into the "whoa" zone nightly. I love to read, but don't often get much time (thanks kids!). About 15 minutes before bed is all. So, this book has been with me for what seems like months.

There are 5 parts (OK, maybe more, but I would categorize it as 5). Air, Water, Earth and Fire are the first 4. He talks about the history of the planet, how things came to be, how incredibly long it took for things to be, and how short a time us humans have been on this planet (and what we're doing to it). All of these things take me to the zone. I have an 'out of body feeling' when I think about the universe, our galaxy, the sun, our amazing planet and the life that exists here.

I used to spend a lot of time reading this kind of non-fiction & thinking about environmental issues, my health. Since I've had kids I have a much harder time with it. The "Why are we here?" question has changed for me. It used to just boggle my mind, "why are we here? how did this happen? what are the chances?". I've just accepted these questions that have no answers. I know it's a miracle that life on this planet exists. Life is so good, so miraculous, so fleeting, that I need to enjoy every single minute. There is no room in my life for anger, being annoyed or frustrated, bored or sad. This is impossible of course because day to day life gets in the way of the big picture. But, I'm working on it. I'm happier. I care less about the small stuff. I am in the here and now, living life and loving my kids.

I am so happy that The Sacred Balance touched on LOVE. The last part relates our worldly experience of love and spirituality. How it is essential for our survival- it's not only cultural but biological too. Because of where I am in my life I could completely relate to the mother child love/bond. It helps the rest make sense. Becoming a mother has made my life make sense. And this book helped me to relate this life to the big picture. Whoa.

Love.