Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone whom I admire but have never met.
Barbara Walters
When I was working full-time along with taking care of my family, home and what seemed like a million other responsibilities, I dreamt of juggling multitudes of balls around and around in the air without stopping. I feared if I dropped one it would be a catastrophe. In the morning, I woke up exhausted.
After my children grew up and I retired from my job, I believed there would be less juggling. Who knows? Maybe, I thought, it would stop entirely. There would be, I reasoned, fewer responsibilities. I could lay down that large ball representing my career and at least what remained would be easier to manage.
It hasn’t worked out that way. I neglected to factor in all the balls that were still in the air and a few smaller ones I picked up along the way. Keeping it all spinning is, at the best of times, a challenge. Each ball represents a responsibility. Family, friends, health, home, finances, writing, volunteering. All requiring attention to stay in the air. Revolving around and around. If you, as I do , lean toward being a bit OCD, you wonder if the balls should be organized by size or by color? Too much? Do you sense the desperation?
We still haven’t talked about what happens if a ball gets dropped? The catastrophe I dreamt about. It can’t be good. What if we carefully laid down a ball or two? Maybe, we could pick them up later? Some we could decide to let lie. In the scheme of things would it matter? It depends on the size of the ball. Some would be harder to let go of than others. Maybe it’s a matter of dexterity and desire.
Aging with Grace 
6 responses to “The Juggler”
Love that quote by Barbara Walters and your photo!
I used to juggle as well, especially when I was married and the kids were younger, but today it’s completely different. Instead of balls, I envision a plate and how many servings will that plate hold? Each serving represents something I’m involved in, but earlier this year, I scraped that plate clean and have become very mindful of what’s added, if anything. It has to really make my heart swell to have a place on the plate.
I’m happy to say we’re over halfway through the year and my plate still has plenty of room for more, but I’m enjoying the empty spaces. A full plate gets heavy! Much love to you.
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I like the plate analogy.Most of us could be more selective in what we commit to, leaving some room on the plate. 🤍
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I’m happy you liked it lovely. At this stage of life, I’m more focused on who I’ll be remembered as instead of making endless commitments. 💜
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Wow Barb, I could relate so much to your post! I am also in a stage of juggling in my life right now. So many responsibilities yet so little time to focus on my own interests. I really want to know what happens towards the end when we are busy maintaining pace and grasp with all the balls. Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Take a look at everything you’re juggling. Is there anything you can let go of to give you time for yourself? You can always pick it up again, if you decide you need to. I have found that learning to say ,”no”, is helpful. We can’t do it all.
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Thanks, that’s such a wonderful suggestion! Lately, I really have started to apply this strategy of saying ‘No’ to things that make me compromise things for myself and so far I think it’s going great 🙂
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