Balance!

Last night we attended a barbecue. Our hosts were Israeli as were most of the other guests. The music was stuff I remember hearing from my Israeli friends in the mid- 70's. The food certainly had that middle Eastern flair.Certainly nothing fancy,it was that cultures standard bill of fare.There were 4 long buffet tables overwhelmed with food. We were maybe 30 -40 people,from age 4-64.Eating, laughing, talking singing,and when dessert came out more eating.In all we were there for about 3 hours, a short respite from the more mundane aspects of life.
I caught myself thinking"I could get used to this!". Hanging out,eating and having fun with no responsibilities,completely disconnected from the geo-political world,and the challenges and responsibilities of life.
I say I caught myself because all too often,  I hear from some one who just returned from a vacation to just about any where, invariably I hear them say"I could live there, I could get used to a life like that!".
I am always amused and often dumbfounded when I hear that.
You were on vacation! Of course it felt good. That's why it's a vacation!Other parts of the world call it a holiday....from the term Holy Day!
It is a special time, apart from the mundane.
Yes, unquestionably it was a wonderful evening. It had also been a great afternoon, lying on my deck,taking a short rest (not really a nap) after a swim in the pool.
It had also been a great evening the night before when Susan and I had a quiet dinner for 2 at our new favorite eatery. It was simple, not fancy and certainly not expensive.
I had an awesome time Saturday, when left to my own devices I spent the entire day cleaning the house, unfettered by demands on my time or resources by any thing other than my objective for the day.....cleaning!
When I look back at the entirety of last week, there were many other highlights that I found equally engaging and energetic. A meeting with my editor, attending services on Wednesday morning,catching up on paying some bills on Friday and developing a game plan for the rest of the month.I even found a great moment in attending a funeral as well as any one of a number of business related conversations and phone calls.
It's all about balance for me. 
They (who ever they are) say all work and no play makes for a dull boy.Well for me the same can be said about all play and no work. Lazing about is fun for a while . For me that means a very short while.
I desire much more. I look forward to things like,creating,motivating engaging,challenging,stimulating,questioning,inspiring,educating,connecting,directing,and all of the rest of the "ings" in my world. For me they are all part of BE-ING.
With out these,and probably many more that I missed, my life would be out of sync,. It would be unbalanced.
When I find myself in times of stress,I just have to find where that point of unbalance is to understand why I am feeling that pressure. Whether it's it my health, my wealth my relationships,my faith ,my skills, my knowledge,my imagination,or any other aspect of the whole me that is out of alignment,when there is an imbalance,life becomes stressful.

I Googled homeostasis.
Homeostasis can be defined as a property of an organism or system that helps it maintain its parameters within a normal range of values. It is key to life, and failures in homeostasis can lead to diseases.It's no wonder that when life's stresses and challenges go far afield from normal,I begin to break down . It also makes all kinds of sense to me,that when I achieve balance, I return to a most pleasurable state of normalcy.
Paradise is not a place.
Paradise is a state of being!