Balanced Perspective

Last night I actually had a chance to sit down and watch a little of the Olympics on NBC. I watched the US and China girls gymnastic teams compete on the floor, uneven bars, balance beam, and some other thing that I cannot remember what it is called. There were several things I was amazed by, but their sheer ability to bend and twist their bodies in ways I did not even know my body would move is the one thing that always amazes me when I see the gymnastic people compete.
Did you know the balance beam is only about 4" wide? To have the skill and talent they need to remain on the beam is unbelievable. Most of us have a hard time walking on a curb, much less thinking about doing a flip and landing on the object safely. This reminds me about many conversations. Some people have a gift to have a balanced conversation without falling off track. Others do not dare to get on the beam and look at issues with a balanced perspective. It is safer if we try to walk on the curb then to step up on a balance beam which requires us to be outside of our comfort zone. We tend to play it safe in our conversations for the sake of what other people may be thinking about us and our perspective. The reality is there are difficult topics that need to be addressed and need to have a balanced dialogue up on the balance beam and not down on the curb.