Dignity: Finding Balance 

I work hard trying to find the balance. We are told that we need to have a work life balance. I always wondered what that meant. I will tell you if the goal is to keep the scale balanced, I fail. Often, I feel I am in way over my head, but I know people are depending on me, so I work hard to keep my head above the water line. Sometimes I get to a point where I want to just scream out and say I have had enough. It’s human to feel that way but I feel like I am failing sometimes. I have been on this 59-year journey seeking balance and trying to find my purpose. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I have been given more opportunities than I truly deserve. These chances I have been given have opened my eyes to what my true purpose on this earth is and that is to take the Grace that I have been given and help others find their Grace and opportunity to make a difference. 

When I get into a state where maybe I am feeling sorry for myself, life has a way of reminding me how fortunate I am. One day I was walking down North Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was a rainy day, and I was heading to an event. Huddled in a bus stop booth with all their possessions in bags were about 5 people trying to stay dry. They had no home to go to. How do they find their balance? I was stopped on the street a few months ago by a gentleman who asked me if I worked at the hospital, and I said yes. He told me how we saved his life from a drug overdose. He talked about how grateful he was and that he has been “clean” for three months. He said every day is a challenge because his focus is to stay drug and alcohol free. How does he find his balance? A family who traveled here from another country who speak very little English are living in a hotel, the parents cannot work, and the children are sent to school which is struggling to find the resources to support them. Where do they find their balance. The statistics continue to grow, and we are seeing more and more families becoming homeless. Where do they find their balance. 

Every day I get to go to work. I have a home and I have family who love me. I get to go on trips and vacations and every day there is food on the table. I am not saying I do not have challenges, but they do not even come close to what the people I describe above have. I believe that when much is given then much is required. I work hard to stay strong because even though I have challenges in my life I still have room to give. It is where I find my balance. It is where I find my peace. It is where I find my Dignity.  

Charles Redd RN 

Dignity Freedom Fighter