Life is balance. The same as a really good cup of tea. A lot of people think of brewing tea from loose leaves as a lot of trouble, and why should they bother when it can be had in convenient little prepacked bags? Balance is the key. Find the right balance between tea and water, between giving of yourself to the world and taking back, and you may just discover that not only does your breath come easier but that life seems brighter.

Maslov's pyramid of needs shows that certain things follow from others- physical needs come at the bottom, spiritual needs fit in somewhere higher up. The top cannot be reached and fulfillment can't happen unless you take what you need from somewhere. That goes squarely against a lot of teaching about self-sacrifice. If you're in an airplane, you're supposed to put the O2 mask on yourself before assisting your small children... that's supposed to be a no-brainer. If you pass out from fumes or lack of oxygen, they have no help at all. We don't need more martyrs in this world. We need the cheerful givers. The people who stop and listen to others without offering advice or trying to fix it "their way". Listening is enough. Smiling is enough. Showing human consideration for someone. Wait patiently in line for your turn. Do not get frustrated with service personnel for things beyond your control. Return a shopping cart to the store instead of leaving it in the lot.

Balance in life. If everyone spent just five minutes doing something like that every day, wouldn't it help? The little things add up fairly fast. Doesn't have to be big to be effective. And the flip side is taking- taking with grace can be just as hard as giving with grace.