The balance beam was my favorite gymnastics apparatus. Hey, I wasn’t that good at it, but still, the day I finally completed a cartwheel without falling off the beam was a memorable moment in my life.  You walk across the 4 inch wide 16 foot long wood plank teetering from side to side, sometimes catching yourself before falling and straightening up, other times, well, just falling off.  The YMCA we belong to has a good gymnastics program.  From outside the wellness center there is a window where its fun to watch the girls jump through the air, get on, fall off and get right back on over and over again. Some are graceful, others not. So, when I think about my work/life balance or imbalance these days, it’s a lot like that beam. One teeters between the needs and responsibilities to our families on one side and the commitment and responsibilities of our careers on the other. Our friends and family are the thick, strong mats that cushion those inevitable tumbles we will take on any given day. They make it possible to get right back up on it, and if not cartwheel or back flip with a one and half twist, at least walk with a graceful wobble to the other side.