In a playground of my youth, I can remember a weathered and worn merry-go-round, elevated slightly above a dirt patch of ground and comprised of rusty steel supports and cracked wooden planks. A little off-kilter and listing sideways from years of use, it was a splinter hazard too, but the rewards outweighed the risks each time we’d visit. The challenge, of course, was to spin each other on its creaky platform, as fast as possible, tempting the forces of physics to beat us at our game. We’d lose on occasion, such as the time when my brother Tom returned home with a mostly-missing tooth and a broken smile. Still, we’d return often for mad summer spins in the park - instantly transforming our world into a blur of color and motion.

What we learned, though, was that when we’d near the point of losing our grasp, there was always a chance to retreat to the center of the twirling carousel, balance and reset. From there, we’d watch composed, as others vainly tested their endurance, competing against the outward pull of forces.

Sometimes, in a world that seems like it’s spinning out of control, there is a tendency to feel pulled toward the margins. A raucous periphery of confusion and uncertainty, with those on opposing sides of the same plane holding tight, wrestling for control. In those moments, it’s good to remember that we all share an axis, a common place of relative stability and calm. It’s available to each of us, if we’re able to just catch our breath and look inward.