THE
BALANCING POINT
WELCOME TO OUR OFFICIAL BLOG
Welcome to the official blog of Spring Street Financial. It’s another way we share knowledge about timely financial issues affecting the markets and the economy – and about us. We hope you find it useful and, as always, encourage you to contact us if you have any questions.
Life is a balance between holding on and letting go - Rumi.
January 5th, 2017
The beginning of a new year often brings forth contemplation and reflection. It forces us to examine this past year while setting us out into this next one. For those of us over 50, it seems the passing years begin to accelerate and speed up. Our son Richard who is now 6 likes to recall stories of when he “was a baby at 2” which to him is more than ½ a lifetime ago but to us a blip in time.
Even so, I don’t remember a year like this past one for some time. It seems 2016 has been a “take you by the lapels and shake you” year for many of us.
Whether it was the vitriol and animus hurled amongst one another from previously harmonious family and friends, leading up to the Presidential Election to the surprising results the morning of November 9th. Or maybe it was the many icons who left us. The passing of Muhammad Ali, Prince, Gwen Ifill, George Michael, Carrie Fisher and many others seemed to hit us one after the other. The fact that many were in there 50’s and 60’s was equal parts devastation and alarm and have served a simple reminder of our human mortality.
How do we make 2017 one which counts and doesn’t whiz by? This year more than ever, embrace what is positive and what you know for certain. The rest you cannot control or ever hope to.
Manifest kindness and make a difference for yourself, your family, your community and the world!
One of my favorite songs is Hands by Jewel where she sings “In the end, only kindness matters”.
I wish you peace, joy, harmony and health in the New Year.
Marta
Welcome to our blog, The Balancing Point.
January 1st, 2017
In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as Tai Chi (reference - wikipedia).
The yin and yang symbol of Tai Chi is well known. One cannot exist without the other. Neither is better than the other. In the symbol, yang energy is always present within the yin, as represented by the small white circle engulfed in the black. Likewise, the swirling yang energy contains a seed of dark yin energy. The amount of yin is constantly changing. So is the amount of yang. Both are constantly shifting in a cosmic energy dance.
At its simplest and deepest, the tai chi symbol is a symbol of existence and the process of creation. It holds a reminder of the very best that each of us can create, for ourselves and for the world.
The balancing point is where yin and yang intersect and we thought an appropriate title for our blog.
Namaste,
Marta Shen
