Fulcrums and a Full Life

This weekend I hopped the last hurdle into middle-age: bifocals. I am now officially old. Grey hair, wrinkles, expanding waistline and declining vision. So why am I so content?

Maybe it’s because I can look back and be happy about where I’ve been. I’ve made good friends. I’ve gotten a good education. I’ve had the opportunity to work for a paycheck and the luxury to volunteer for a nonprofit. I have a fantastic family, both here in my home and stretched out across the country.

Life isn’t easy. Not for anyone, even if it looks like it is from the outside. We all struggle with our personal demons and challenges. I worry too much. I don’t work out enough. I am often out of balance. But not today. Today, as I turn 47, I am perfectly balanced on the fulcrum of my life. Life can be a see saw, tipping wildly in one direction then another. Your job pulls you one way; your family pulls you another – the see saw tips out of balance. The trick is adjusting the weight of each element so you can go up and down in harmony. Never letting one side weigh you down or keep you pinned to the ground.

The past month has left me teetering. The abrupt “thump” when Amanda broke her hip. The long days and nights in the hospital following… then endless piles of paperwork for insurance, Medicaid and lawyers. But today my friends have posted messages on Facebook, I had a little party, my father called… things have tipped back up and balance has temporarily returned.

My understanding of physics is limited to a fifth grade module on Simple Machines, but I found this website demonstrating how a fulcrum works. It’s not just the weight on both ends that impacts the balance, but also the placement of the fulcrum. It occurs to me that I can impact the placement of the fulcrum, myself, and how I view the world around me. I don’t need to allow outside factors to weight me down. I can alter where I stand in relation to the people and events around me. I can influence the balance of my own life.

There is power in the placement of a fulcrum. Archimedes is attributed with saying.”Give me a lever long enough, and a prop strong enough, I can single-handed move the world.” A fulcrum is also the pivot point for any lever. Today I feel like I can move the world. Not off its orbit, but maybe nudge it into a better place somehow.

Physics can also explain the wrinkles, but that's a topic for brighter minds than mine....