Purpose: To stress the need for a balanced life and for personal responsibility for it.

Materials: Two objects that you can balance on your hand. One should have a wide base. (A 4x4 that is several feet long will suffice.) The other can be a yardstick or a broom handle, or something like that. Practice with this narrower object so that you can get it to stand on your hand for at least a few seconds.

Lesson: Have you ever tried to balance something on your hand, like this stick? It is not easy to do. (Show.) You have to practice a lot. Now, if I try to balance something that has a wider base, it is easier. (Show.)

The same rule applies no matter what the shape of the object I am trying to balance. The rule is this: To balance it, you must have the same weight on all sides of the center. …