Finding Equilibrium

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I’m not good with balance.

Maintaining it is difficult for me. Whether we’re talking about getting enough sleep or eating right or controlling my alcohol intake or exercising regularly or choosing topics for “What’s the Diehl?,” finding the balance between too little and too much or positive and negative is challenging.

Last night I lay in bed and thought about what to write today. You know what came to mind? I thought about writing about fracking and posting yet again about the impending war with Iran and maybe examining the many ways in which women and girls are being screwed in America. (I’m no authority, of course, but I live with four females and was birthed by another so I have a vested interest in the issue.) Sadly, none of my blog ideas involved butterflies, rainbows or unicorns.

It’s hard to balance positive blog posts with negative ones because there’s no shortage of bad stuff about which I’m compelled to write as a way of shedding light on what’s going on, illuminating the cockroaches scurrying across the floor, letting my readers know why you should be enraged and engaged. On one hand, people don’t visit “What’s the Diehl?” to be cheered up or to derive joy, happiness or comfort. On the other hand, no one wants to read negative stuff all the time and wallow in depression because of how messed up some things are. I get this.

I try to include positive posts about my amazing partner and my exceptional kids, to write about happy experiences and cool things that have happened to me. I share smile-inducing photos and noteworthy music by a variety of artists, and readers know that every Sunday I post thought-provoking poetry that isn’t always negative. But I struggle with the desire – the obligation, in fact – to write about the harmful crap that’s going on in Lansing and Washington, to slam politicians for their greed and myopia and point out how ludicrous some people and policies can be.

One of my best friends – let’s call her “Sissy” – told me point-blank that she avoids “What’s the Diehl?” because it’s too heavy and she’s not interested. She’s smart and supportive in most ways and she’s not the type to stick her head in the sand but she’s brutally honest and she told me my blog is just too intense. I’m sure she’s not the only one to come to this conclusion.

So I’ll continue to struggle with positive and negative, with celebrating and condemning and trying to balance the good with the bad and ugly. Knowledge and awareness are good things, after all, and denial and distraction are bad. Please don’t avoid this site because I write about things that you’d rather ignore. Ignorance is what gave us eight years of Dubya. It’s what enables Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh to become multimillionaires and illegal, unjustifiable wars to be waged against countries that some of our compatriots can’t find on a map. It’s what Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers are counting on. It’s what makes corruption and evil possible.

And if anyone knows the secret for finding perfect balance, feel free to share it with me. I’ll try to find time to incorporate it into my lifestyle.


P.S. I welcome guest bloggers and suggestions for topics. I’ll pay you the same amount that I earn for my posts. Send your message to pdiehl@live.com.


“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. ~ Edmund Burke

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” ~ Socrates

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.” ~ John Steinbeck