Balance

Once the great Anthony of the Desert was relaxing with his disciples outside his hut when a hunter came by. The hunter was surprised to see Anthony relaxing, and rebuffed him for taking it easy. It was not his idea of what a holy monk should be doing.

Anthony replied, "Bend your bow and shoot an arrow." And the hunter did so. "Bend it again and shoot another arrow," said Anthony. The hunter did so, again and again.

The hunter finally said, "Abba Anthony, if I keep my bow always stretched, it will break."

So it is with the monk," replied Anthony. "if we push ourselves beyond measure, we will break. It is right from time to time to relax our efforts."

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.”