I have been on this pursuit of a balanced life for years now. Is it really possible when the circumstances of life tip from one side to the next so constantly?

My teeth clench and my foot braces hard against the floor of this shaking machine. All at once the conversations surrounding us are hushed by the droning of the wind against metal. My heart beats harder.

My boy’s words on that day stuck with me months later. Words like that often do. Not only did they show me a hard place in my heart, but they showed me a soft, strong place in my son’s heart.

What our children observe our hands holding day in and day out will greatly determine what they decide to busy their own hands with. What might begin to change if we started taking note of what occupies our hands most?

It is not a bucket list. It is not a goal list. It is not a to-do list. The values penned on this list each act as a gear, setting into motion the life we most desire.