My mother would often use the phrase, out of kilter, meaning something is not as it typically is. For example, if a children in my family were acting unlike themselves, my mom would say, "They're out of kilter."
All of us get out of kilter from time to time. When this happens we're generally knocked off our regular routine. Just yesterday, a major storm blew through the area, and I'm sure that knocked many families out of kilter due to school closings, blocked roads, fallen trees, damaged power lines and more.
When you get knocked out of kilter, it is important to understand what pushed you in that direction, and how you can either get back on course or change your life course a bit to gain greater harmony and satisfaction.
Just recently I was knocked out of kilter. There were a few reasons why this happened. For starters, a routine effort was upset by a number of unexpected elements--none were negative, but instead elements that simply upset the routine expectations resulting in greater exhaustion and less surety. Also, trying something new can knock you out of kilter because you simply can't anticipate exactly what will happen, and the results of any first-time effort typically results in some satisfaction as well as some dissatisfaction. I found that yesterday as I attempted to cook a number of new foods--none were horrible, but none were completely to my satisfaction too. Next time I won't add the cauliflower to the vegetable soup and I'll more closely follow the recipe for the pumpkin bread for a better result.
As I write, I wonder if those of us who are sometimes perfectionists get knocked off kilter more often since the reach for perfection rarely turns out exactly as imagined.
A good, healthy and rather simple framework for living helps us to stay the course and not get knocked off kilter. Yet, if we never deviate from our routines, we also may not grow or develop in the ways that occur when we do make mistakes and face the surprises novelty brings.
As I always believe, life is a series of highs, lows and plateaus, and as we direct ourselves, we need to make the time to reflect on our paths to make our direction as good as it can be. Onward.