The Art of Juggling

Juggling can be defined as ‘the manipulation of objects for fun’. In layman’s terms, it’s when you chuck a bunch of things in the air and pray that none of them give you a concussion. It’s been said that the trick to juggling is not in the catching but in the throwing. In other words, just make sure everything stays in the air and you’re good.

Don’t worry about catching any of it because that’s where the trouble comes in.

Have you ever found yourself looking down at an overfilled day planner and wondering how you’ll squeeze in a minute to breathe in between all your commitments? Have you ever fielded a call from a friend while typing an email for work and frantically planning the night’s plans with your husband?

Congratulations – you are a juggler.

Juggling is something many of us are familiar with. We juggle work and play, family and
friends, social lives and commitments. We toss them into the air because it’s just not possible to keep a handle on everything all at once – we don’t have the capacity. And everyone knows exactly how it feels when everything we juggle just comes crashing down (most often dropping down on our heads as a final insult).

But we accept it anyway (with a side of complaining) because there’s no other option.

Life is just too busy and it’s impossible to let go of any of the many things hurtling around in the air above us. And even as we throw something up into the air, in the back of our minds we know; it’s going to come tumbling down some time or another.

It could be that you end up speeding frantically to pick up your child two hours after they were meant to be home safe with you.

It could be that you get home to a filthy house and surprise ‘guests’ on a night when all you want to do is curl up in a ball and ignore the world.

It could be that a week goes by before you say one meaningful word to your partner.

Juggling is hard. It’s tough and stressful all the time and painful when you mess
up.

But you know what? There’s a way to make it better.

When you accept the fact that there will be days when you drop the ball, it becomes easier. The stress begins to ebb away and you find yourself smiling in the midst of chaos. Because when you do it right, juggling is fun!

So forgive yourself for the days when you drop that ball. Embrace the fact that it’s going to happen and love life in spite of that.

It’s exhilarating to live a fast-paced life and look back on a day knowing that you filled up
every single moment with something meaningful. It’s fun to know that you did useful things all day even if that meant you were rushing around. And there’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with handling the craziness for another day.

At its heart, juggling is an art. And you, dear juggler, are an artist.