President’s Column
		Spring 2007

 “Finding Balance in Life” seemed like a simple enough subject and since I was asked to speak on the topic I thought that someone must have “thought” that I had some authority or intimate knowledge of how one goes about finding balance.  As I started to read, I chuckled.  Truth is I found my “rediscovery” quite humorous--for if anything, over the past 2-3 years, my life has been anything but balanced.

For the broad points of this lecture, I used the symbol of 4-H.  Some of you reared in more rural communities will remember 4-H Club with its four H’s that stood for head, heart, hands, and health.  As a good farm boy I was a member of 4-H in elementary school and, for reasons I don’t remember now, chose to use these four areas as my outline and how each area must be kept in check.

Broadly, Head was associated with education, learning and vocation.  Heart, dealt with a variety of issues, but focused on transitions, the struggles of letting go somewhat to the past, and following your own passions.  Hands—service to those around us.  And Health, the need to care for one’s self—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

As I communicate with many of you throughout the year, I find that most are in a constant struggle for time—finding enough time and having enough time to do the things we need to run our lives.   Time for work, for family, for creativity, for doing things other things that really interest use as humans.  Time for quiet and self.  Time to write a column.  There is a sense that those who are most busy are the very ones on whom I/we call when something needs to be done.  The cycle is vicious, unrelenting.  Time continues to roll quickly ahead and we seem to be constantly behind.

The very things that were supposed to make our lives simpler and more creative—email, cell phones, voice messages, internet, PDAs, etc.—have done quite the opposite.  We are more accessible and capable of being found.  People can ask and assume things upon us that did not occur even 10 years ago.  We have gone from a society where we planned and implemented ideas to doing just that PLUS dealing with the immediate and drop everything mentality.  Things that should have been done far advance are now due yesterday.   There are new procedures, new methodologies, new curriculum, and new programs.  This new “immediacy mentality” is imposed upon us by administrators, colleagues, students, family, and friends.  I am guilty—possibly the most guilty.   What happened to the days of office hours?  What happened to secretaries?  What happened to reflective time, creative time, and lunchtime?  It all seems to have been absorbed.  Time is more compressed, more demanding.  As a result, that which means most to us is affected negatively—our students, our families, our friends, our music, and our health.

We all know the problem.  What do we do?  I think the first step is coming to the realization that we can’t do everything.  And it is more than saying the occasional “no.”  It is realizing that we are finite people, with finite abilities, with finite time. Does that mean we should shoot for a lower standard or expectation?  Of course not.  It means that we become more intentional in “what” we do, more intentional about taking on responsibilities that we can truly handle—and no more.  More intentional with our communication to administrators, students, parents, and parishioners about what we are truly capable of doing and doing well, and being honest to say that any more than that directly impacts the quality of our current work.  We must become more intentional in finding ways to rejuvenate our selves, our souls, and our creative minds—a way to suspend time.  In order for us to be inspiration to our singers, we must be vibrant from within self.  The greatest inspiration for me is ACDA conventions—state, regional, and national.   Simply put, I dare not miss them.  It is a time to set aside the swirling busy-ness of life and hear other inspirations.  Be reminded of why we do what we do.  Discover and rediscover new ways of musical creativity.  Discover new repertoire.  Discover old repertoire new to our ears.

So back to the “Finding Balance,” but using 4-H analogy for those in ACDA.  Head—we must be lifelong learners to be successful teachers.  Knowledge is power and enabling.  Create time to care for learning.  Heart—choral music is our passion.  Passions have to be fed, nurtured, and focused.  It is easy for the heart to be the driving force of our lives and throw other things out of balance.  Feed and focus.  Hands—it is easy to let our service to others reach a point that we harm ourselves or even compromise our own work.   Most of us in choral music have a “can do” spirit in overdrive.  Do what you can do and do it to your best.  However as a little, sainted lady told me many years ago, “the best we can do is all we can do, and not even angels can do more.”  Health—this may be the easiest and most obvious, but the most ignored.  Stress weakens, debilitates, and kills.  Exercise, diet, and time for self and family are crucial.   Physical and emotional health is at stake.  When health is out of balance, all other maters suffer.

Now . . . how many of these “H’s” have I violated and thrown out of balance in the last year, month, or even this week?  Most all of them.  But the secret to finding balance is to always be looking to find balance.  Any single one can get twisted out of shape, but only you (sometimes with a little help from family & friends) can equal them out.

So I have reminded myself of these things and hope to have reminded you.  Prescription . . . make plans to be at Spivey Hall for the Summer Conference.  It will definitely help the head and heart elements!  Put June 28-30 on your calendar and meet with the rest of us.  Pay attention to your health, do good work, and make great music.

It is a pleasure to serve this organization!

Stanley L. Roberts