The Scale Of Life

Life is full of choices and we are all weighing what is most important to us and what has the most value and making decisions that affect our lives in different ways.  When it comes time to make a major purchase, we unconsciously decide is this item the best buy, will it bring us the joy we want, is it worth the value and a number of other choices. And it is like the scales above.Some people make lists of pros and cons, reasons or reasons not to do this or that….and it is still the scales above.

I often use the palms up example when trying to tell someone why I justified an action. I take my hands and go up and down with them like a scales and then say hmmm…did I do this or that and this is why …one side outweighed the other.

How we weigh the scales depends on our own set of values and what we believe in. For example…spending time with loved ones far outweighs gifts I can give them. Nothing replaces loving time spent together and so the scale tips dramatically.

Do I need to purchase this or that?  I take the scales and weigh the cost to me versus the benefit. When we bought this house, we weighed the benefits of having our home totally against all the cosmetic work that needed to be done. Yes, buying this house was definitely worth it. But, when it comes to making expensive purchases in this house, we weigh the scale again. Is it worth it? Do we need it? Do We need a new one? Will a used one work as well? Do we want to go into debt to get it? Will we want this a year from now?

Another time we use the scales mentally is when we decide how much we are willing to endure. Some people, if they get their feelings hurt just cut people off totally. I find that I have to weigh the situation and see how much I am willing to take and if the relationship is worth it.  Most of the time, if we really look, we find that the person means so much that “hurt feelings” here and there are just part of having a relationship. We find that the relationship brings so much to our lives that the scales tip towards the relationship. And sometimes, like in cases where the hurt times are more than the good times, people realize that this situation is so detrimental that they need to sever ties. It is all a balancing act in keeping our lives happier and without things that are harming us.

I have things that I feel strongly about and that tips the scales immediately.  They are…don’t lie to me, don’t steal from me..whether physically or emotionally, don’t treat me one way when alone and differently when certain people are around and don’t harm those I love. I feel so strongly on those things that nothing tips the scale back the other way. I hate lies when the truth is so easy.  And nothing I hate worse than when people treat you one way alone and then when certain people are around, they act like they hardly know you. I treat people the same always. If you are my friend…you are my friend no matter who is around. And emotional vampires as I call them…that suck you dry…are not something I like in my life.

So, what are you weighing on the scales as the year comes to end?  Are you weighing a move, a sale, a job change, a trip, a purchase, a medical decision, a friend or family member decision……or even what to eat….we do tend to weigh things.  Though there are times we just react and do and don’t think about the consequences, like eating that spicy food that we know will upset our stomachs.

If you are going to choose…always choose for family, family of choice and friends…for they will be here a lifetime and every minute you chose something over them…is lost. You can never regain those moments with them that you lost.