Time to Wine Down . . .

Balance . . . what does this mean to you? Work/life, Yin/Yang, Business/Pleasure, Career/Family -- I think most people have a dominant theme in their life that can easily become their overriding passion, becoming exclusionary to other priorities.

For me, the past couple of years have been heavily focused on my own personal development, mentally and physically. Fitness, weight loss, self-improvement, athletic accomplishments and business pursuits have taken up a great deal of my focus, sometimes to the exclusion of my family and friends.

One of my personal goals this year was to put more effort into my relationships -- with God, my husband, my children, my family, and my friends. One of the small steps I took in order to better connect and be present in the moment with the time set aside for my husband was instituting regular date nights, which is not uncommon for many couples looking to put more effort into their relationship.

The twist, however, is date night with five children can be a bit of a challenge, so I created "date night at home." A special bottle of exceptional wine, a few cheese and fruit pairings sumptuously displayed on a "hand-wash-only" platter and our most beautiful stemware coupled with a Netflix or RedBox rental, a game of Scrabble or cribbage for the complete package. Total date night cost: anywhere from $20 to $35 depending on the quality of the wine and cheese options, but FAR less expensive than driving to and eating out for dinner, a movie, a show, or an evening at the pub. Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, being present in the moment and making that moment a memory is, for me, the absolute definition of the finest things in life.

I realized some of my most cherished memories with my family and friends were around fine wine and beautiful food, and decided that this was a piece of the puzzle -- the BALANCE -- that I could bring to my life and to my business to soften out the rough callouses of being single-mindedly focused on counting calories and body fat. It's the deep breath at the end of a week where you reflect, acknowledge and reward yourself for your hard work. It's my decadence balancing my discipline.

What is your "guilty pleasure"? If you don't know or don't have one, do some soul searching and figure out how to create perfect balance for you. This is how to really LIVE, present in the moment, with no regrets.

From a wonderful, inspiring soul:

“IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER ....I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.....

There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's"

. . . but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute . . .
look at it and really see it . . . and never give it back.”

― Erma Bombeck