On Friday evening I’m doing a talk at the new School of Life in Melbourne with Oliver Burkeman who wrote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. Should be an interesting bit of banter – I am sad to say, but quietly relieved that the event has sold out.

For anyone who lives in Melbourne (or those who like to travel) you should definitely check out the School of Life it is a wonderful place to be and a brilliant idea to boot.

They asked me to write an essay for their blog, so I’m going to post it on mine – bits of this I have written before so I’m sorry if I ‘Pete Repeat’.

 

http://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/melbourne-summer-term-1/

 

B is for Balance

 

I first started thinking about the Alphabet of the Human Heart almost 15 years ago. I thought why hasn’t anyone done an alphabet for adults? It’s not as if we ever stop learning.

 

I was keen to create an alphabet; two in fact, that confronted, considered and prescribed to the jumble sale of adult issues, emotions and experiences; both good and bad. Anger, Boredom, Criticism, Depression or Adventure, Balance, Compassion, Daring and so forth.

 

I also knew that I wanted these 2 alphabets to meet at Z is for Zen. I’ve always considered Zen to be that elusive but aspiring state only known by a few holy folk, mystics and that woman who baked cookies in the Matrix – but why not set the bar high?

 

I collaborated with my life long friend James Kerr to bring it all together. He focused on the words and I the illustrations, concepts and arty bits. James lives in the UK and I in Sydney – what resulted was a global game of creative tennis.

 

When the deadline of the book finally loomed I became overwhelmed and slightly out of balance by the enormity of what had to be done. In an email to James I described how I was stressed, overwhelmed, not sleeping and not enjoying the process.

To which he so brilliantly and thoughtfully replied ‘read the bloody book’.

So neither I, nor James would ever claim to have the all the answers (I’ve considered getting ‘Work in Progress’ tattooed on my back) but collectively we have shared enough of life’s choppy waters and calm eddies to have a bit of simple perspective.

 

Now that the book has been done and dusted for a couple of years; if I had to pick one letter that summed the book up, it would have to be B is for Balance.

This is an attribute of life we actively seek, gain and lose. How often do we hear or say ‘I just need more balance in my life’ only to be flogged by the bully who tells us to keep rowing.

 

Maintaining balance is like an acrobat who miraculously balances multiple spinning plates on bendy sticks. We’re furiously spinning our plates of work, life, love, exercise, diet, physical health, mental health, life expectations and wallets while having a dusty pan and broom firmly wedged in our back pocket. The practice of cleaning up smashed plates gives us perspective on what works for us and what doesn’t. Thus we continue our own internal, adult education and hopefully grow; if only in wisdom.

 

Do I have balance in my life? Could I be healthier, wealthier and wiser? Of course, but I truly feel the thing that gives me the most balance is doing what I love, which is thinking, writing, illustrating, talking (and sometimes failing) all things to do with balance.