Plate Juggling

You know how sometimes you have a lot on your plate? You don't necessarily know you have a lot on your plate; there are just things that need done and you do them. But sometimes you get more on your plate than you have room for. That's when you have to grab another plate. You have different roles to play for different responsibilities and, even though it is a busy time, you find yourself able to organize your responsibilities on the plates in what looks like a balanced meal (albeit, a rather full meal even for a very hungry man.)

But then, more things require your attention and you find that there just isn't room on those plates, so you need a third. I have found that it's easier to not interrupt the balanced meal arrangement on the first two plates, but to instead put all of the emotions that come with them onto a third. Think of it as dessert (albeit, a very salty dessert.)

The goal is to not eat dessert before you've finished the other plates. It tends to ruin the appetite and makes it very difficult to finish the tasks on the responsibility plates. It wouldn't be so bad if the plates stayed still, but they don't. They can't. So you juggle.

If you've met me, you know that I do not possess the grace to walk in a straight line, let alone juggle while doing it.

My plates aren't any more full than anyone else. You might have more plates than me. I don't envy you. I'm not in self-pity mode, but I accidentally ate off the dessert plate Wednesday night and now I'm having trouble talking myself into the enthusiasm required for the other 2 plates.

I know where my Help comes from and it's going to happen and it's all going to work out. I will never be able to do it with finesse, but I'll do it.

Then I'll have my good cleansing dessert cry. And then I'll sit very, very still and enjoy the quiet. I don't think we were made to function like this. I mean, I know it's possible. I see people juggle superbly all the time. But I think we're mostly called to excel in a few things...like our families. our friends. our talents. Being able to do something doesn't mean we should do something. I'd rather do a few things very well than to do lots of things mediocre. At the moment, mediocre sounds like an ambitious goal.