Your center of gravity

One of the things I've come to believe is that a person needs a center of gravity, parts of ourselves that exist even as circumstances change. Life rearranges itself in ways we don't always get to control. For that reason, I think it's important to cultivate qualities, interests, and values that we can return to later when life inevitably shifts.

Sometimes a clue can be found in childhood. Before achievement, careers, productivity, or other people's expectations took over, what drew your attention? And if circumstances didn't allow for that exploration, what might have drawn your attention if you had been given the chance?

When I was a kid, my best friend and I made "Squirrel & Rabbit Crossing" signs asking drivers to slow down because too many small animals were being hit by cars on our street. We taped them to telephone poles around the neighborhood. When one neighbor kept taking them down, we kept putting them back up. What I realize now is that I'm still the kid that wants to put up signs.

My connection to animals has remained one of the threads throughout my life. Curiosity is another; looking back, I can see I've always been very interested in making sense of people and the world around me. I've also had a tendency to notice things that don't sit right with me and have a hard time letting them go. When circumstances change, as they do, they give me something to return to.

Your threads may look entirely different from mine. What has remained recognizably you throughout the years? And if those threads aren't immediately obvious, perhaps there's a glimmer of one lying dormant waiting for your attention. The more we nurture those enduring qualities within ourselves, the more we have something to return to when the world around us changes.