Balance

Summer is turning slowly into autumn here. The daylight time has gradually been decreasing, while the night darkness becomes longer bit-by-bit. Today is the autumn Equinox. The Equinox is the moment when the Sun is located right over Earth’s equator. It happens only twice a year, once in mid-March and once in mid-September. Today, for a short time, while the Earth is rotating around the Sun, the rays will not be pointed towards the northern hemisphere or the southern, but directly at the middle. It will seem for those of us on Earth, that the daylight and the night darkness are balanced equally.

Where I live, it is not just the light that seems balanced. Temperatures seem more moderate, neither the higher temperatures and humidity of summer nor the piercing cold and dry winds of winter. The green leaves on the deciduous trees around me are gently turning from green to yellow, soft orange and red, before dropping to the ground below. The world around me seems between young and old, between birth and death.

It’s not easy to maintain balance. Perhaps that is why there are only two days in each year when this planet has an Equinox. And, because it is not easy, it deserves a celebration and appreciation.

Almost 20 years ago, on this date I was driving home when my car rolled over on the interstate highway, toppling upside down, and landing only a short distance from a small tree in the strip of grass between the entrance and exit ramps at the exchange. It was about 10:00 at night and I was on my way home after having worked more than 12 hours that day. It happened so quickly.

It surprised me how easy it was for a simple chain of events to unbalance my usually stable car. First, my eyes spotted a skunk meandering in front of my path. Without thinking about the high speed of my travel, I titled the steering wheel to the left in an attempt to avoid crushing the critter that seemed out for an evening stroll. As I realized my car was now heading directly toward the median strip and across to the vehicles speeding in the opposite direction, I jerked the wheel of the car to the right, slammed my foot on the brake and said a quick “It’s been a good life.” In a few brief seconds, it was over.

The car tumbled over, then landed right side up on the grassy strip. I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out to see a beautiful clear night sky filled with stars. My eyes averted the crumpled car beside me. In only minutes a police officer came to investigate. He asked, “Did you fall asleep at the wheel?” and I responded, “No, I was awake for the whole thing.”

So today, on the Equinox, I celebrate the mystery of those rare occasions when life is in balance and respect those times when it is not.