Balance and Companionship

We humans are a very social species. Even from the very beginning it was said of Adam that “it is not good for man to be alone”. My time here in Ecuador has taught me this lesson, a lesson I have had to learn many times over. Each day as a medical student you have your usual shift at the clinic. Each day is unpredictable where you might just be dealing with children with colds, and another day you might find that the doctor on duty isn’t going to show up and you now have a woman in tears holding a convulsing child in her arms at your door. By the the end of the day it’s easy to just want to go home and rest. The problem I have found is when this goes on too many days in a row.

One thing that makes my situation here interesting is the location of the home at which I’m staying. Located out of town in a comfortable neighborhood but with a bus that only runs up to 8 pm and miles away from the city of Quito it’s easy to feel isolated. With my daily responsibilities as an international medical student it’s not hard to let this become the main focus of each day, however if this remains unchecked it’s easy to start neglecting the other areas of balance in life.

About five years ago a group of close friends and I were talking about this very subject. We compared the four main areas of life balance as rings interconnected. Each person may have different rings but ultimately they are interdependent and attention must be paid to all of them in order for the four to stay connected as one. My four are:

- Friends and Family
- Health/Fitness
- Work/Education
- Spirituality

Being a hard worker and self motivated it’s easy for me to keep the last three in check, but for some reason the first one can tend to be neglected. Perhaps it is due to my personality type or having grown up rather introverted but whatever the reason is I know one thing too well; if that first one is not sustained all four suffer. It requires active work and reminders to make sure it gets its proper attention.

These past three weeks I have had some incredible experiences with some great people. Definitely highlights of my time here. But in contrast I will admit there are also nights after several long, stressful days when this secluded location and stress get to me. But thank God for our modern communication to be able to stay in touch with people irregardless of distance! Phone and video calls with family have been essential in keeping my moral high. Messages from friends are like breaths of fresh air. But for me the most important thing is having a loving companion who also goes out of her way to make sure I know I’m loved and is by my side even though we are separated by thousands of miles. But it hasn’t been without its challenges. Being separated by 6 hours means that often when I get home she is getting ready for sleep and when I wake she may already be out exploring some place in Europe and out of wifi reach. But we make it happen, even if it means setting an alarm for 1:30 am to leave a mostly incoherent voicemail or her staying up late into the night so we can tell stories of everything happening in our lives.

Being away from those you love really shows you how much they truly mean to you. The more space and importance that person takes up in your life the more you become aware of it once separated. However when that place is again filled by the person you care about how great is that reunion? I personally can’t wait to be reunited by the girl I love and have two incredible friends join me in exploring the beautiful city of Quito and it’s surrounding lands. After all for me that is what life is all about; incredible experiences and sharing them with those you love.

I guess if there was anything I would hope a read may get out of this is to question yourself:

What are the main areas of balance in your life?
Are those areas being met?
And what can you do to make sure that they are?

Also go tell someone you love just how much they mean to you. What could go wrong? ;)