The Need for Balance

How much should we sacrifice for the people we love? How much of ourselves should we give away to those who we care about? Whether that's our time, our beliefs, our opinions, our faith. How much is too much?

My time is endless for those who I care about. For those who have proven they give a damn. Sometimes, if you're lucky, my time is endles for those who have yet to prove they give a damn, but I'm digressing somewhat...

What does it mean (metaphorically) to sacrifice ourselves? To give up hours of time without complaining? Making the first contact time and time again. Fighting for something that maybe the other person doesn't want to fight for. Fighting for each other. Fighting for them. Exhausting yourself. Overthinking every little thing. Trying to grab some logic out of the whole idea. Turning the concept upside down and inside out.

Have you ever noticed that we're much better at identifying too much sacrifice when it is coming from other people. You're standing watching Sally Brown bend over backwards to make sure that Joe Bloggs is happy with whatever situation is thrown at him. You watch her get exhausted with the entire situation. You can see it from a differnt angle and you can't figure out why, when it's so clear that she's sarcrificing much more then him that Sally is continuing to do it. It's so obvious it would be laughable, if it wasn't so sad. And the more Sally gives, the more lazy Joe Bloggs get. It's eas to see when it's someone else. When you're watching from the sidelines you have this handly little thing called Perspective.

Except one day you look in the mirror and realise that, actually, you're Sally Brown.

Too much sacrifice is when the balance is firmly in the hands of one person, I think. When you're busy giving, keeping quiet on points that might offend, making the first effort and this other person just keeps taking. Who doesn't slow you down and make you take a minute for yourself. Who doesn't bother sacrificing stuff for you. Who refuses to fight for you. They get lazy. Bored. So when the fight leaves you, (which it will) you no longer care. You've sarcificed too much and now you're exhausted.

It's a two way street. And it's not a blameless one. It's all well and good for someone to take, but in order for someone to take, there has to be someone giving and vice versa. The two co-exist with each other. Different pieces of the same coin. And like everything else in life, stretching from chocolate bars and vegetables to work and vacations, it require a little balance.

Otherwise it falls apart.