Our lives are like those

of circus equilibrists,

we walk through a thin & narrow,

but very strong wire,

our emotional life.

The wire is our support system,

made out of thousands of filaments

tightly wound together.

Along it lie, among others,

our feelings, our faith, our friends & family.

Equilibrium is tough and challenging,

as it requires endless focus, rehearsal and attention.

Just as the wire does,

life swings,

up & down & right & left.

As the tightrope walker 

slides each slipper forward,

as if caressing the wire,

his feat as our lives,

becomes a balancing act.

The more he, like us, practices equilibrium,

the more knowledge & experience he acquires,

the more self-confident he becomes,

because a man on a wire

requires near perfection

on each of his well-choreographed moves.

Without a solid emotional life supporting us,

like the wire of an equilibrist,

there is no balance in life.

When we fall into excesses of effort (like work),

or excesses of discharge (like fun),

we lose equilibrium 

and fall from the wire.

And the safety nets down under,

if we have them,

become our life savers.

When supported by the wire,

and if we attain sound self-confidence,

we can walk unaided

through the swings of life.

But the ultimate balance

is only attained by the equilibrist,

with the stick,

which is love.