Letter to the editor: Autumnal Equinox, the balance and compromise

September 26, 2021

Autumn in the Midwest is an iconic treasure:

– The perfect temperature (it happens at some point between the wintery mornings and almost summery feeling of noon)

– The sunlight itself is different — more yellow on the leaves.

– The aroma of the seasonal culinary delectables from bakeries and farm stands.

All of these things happen during the time of the equinox, a time of balance between day and night, dark and light. And in balance we find a menagerie of metaphors and symbolism.

What is balance? One might think of a balance beam or the challenge of walking a thin straight line. Or one might conjure ideas of a stacking game like Jenga. One might also think of a mass scale.

And on this point of a scale I would like to tinker in thought. A mass scale is one that is a straight line or stick hinged at the middle with two plates or bowls dangling from either side. What if we got rid of the dangling bowls and the stand. And instead we thought more of a balance board on a ball?

How many different ways could one find balance on that board? One way of finding balance would be to put an equal amount of weight on the most opposite sides of the board. Simple enough. But they are so far away from each other there is no connection or way to connect the pieces without possibly throwing the whole thing off.

Or one could put the weight in the middle, which is more stable and more sound. There is connection with two pieces being next to each other. There is room for error, yes and there are times when that is good. When the weight is in the middle of the board, it takes more to tip the board to its critical point.

“Compromise” to find this balance is something I remind my children of daily.

What kind of balance will you drive for:
In your family?
With your friends?
In your community?

Melissa Licavoli
Village resident

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.