This past Tuesday, my grandmother Evelyn turned 91 years old. As we caught up on the phone, the strong prairie woman she is, she mentioned multiple doctors have told her, “You are not a normal 90 year old.” What a compliment!

It’s made me think what has Evelyn done during these nine decades of her life that have led her to such a long, beautiful tenure on this Earth. She loved to swim and started at a young age, one of the best exercises you can do for most of your life (I like to think she handed that down to me!). She’s a farmer’s wife and still finds herself in the garden, checking in on the hostas. And she raised nine kids over about two decades, not an easy feat!

And in addition to keeping herself moving and going through some of the hardest mental and physical conditions any human can, I never saw her deny herself a sweet treat at a celebration. She wasn’t the woman who said, “Oh, no cake for me,” to focus on her figure or health. And despite all her responsibilities, she also made time for her quilting retreats, that were just for her. To me, that is real balance.

I think that’s what it means to live well. To work hard and allow yourself the play. To save for retirement, but also not deny yourself of an adventure across the world.

It’s hard for us to not swing one way of the pendulum too much. And that’s what this week’s guest Chimene Mayne-Ross reminded me too. She works so hard to uphold her family’s legacy as the current founder of Killer Brownie, but she and her husband make sure to take trips and have their quiet time in the morning before heading into the office together.

It’s the grain bowl lunch with a brownie treat later. The giving your all at a project followed by a weekend on the couch watching The Real Housewives. Whatever your version of balance is, go ahead—live a little.