The Juggling Act

About now—or sometime in the next week—thousands of authors are going to hit a wall in their speed writing process (otherwise known as NaNoWriMo).

Things come up. Our families need us. The holidays are upon us, and there is baking / decorating / shopping / socializing to be done. Really. Who has time to write?

It’s definitely tricky. But you can handle it. Know why? It’s what we do. We juggle. We shift. We move things around until all the pieces of our lives and time fit together. Maybe we get less sleep and put off some unimportant things like making dinner and scrubbing floors.

We do what we must to accomplish our goals because this is how we keep all our balls in the air. We learn to juggle. And really, all I can offer is my wishes of good luck. I hope you manage to catch them all.

The Art of Juggling

My daughter Sneezy is into sports. Like, way. Into. Them. Basketball, soccer, softball, track—she’ll try it all. And do it all. And be good at it.

Awesome, right? Except not always. We recently had to have a talk about how impossible it is for one person (me or her or anyone else) to be in two places at once. Because she has finally reached the point where that has become an issue. Thing is, it’s hard for anyone to dedicate themselves to two different teams. Even if the sports compliment each other in every physical way except practice times.

At some point, we all have to make hard choices like this. Where best to dedicate ourselves, to what team we give our all, and which pursuit will bring us the most happiness, or if not happiness, at least the best opportunity for success.

And it’s hard, you know? It really is hard to make that decision. Sneezy will probably have to choose between soccer and softball. One she truly loves, and the other is more popular among her best friends and would mean taking a fun out-of-town trip in the spring. Which one to choose?

I find myself at a similar crossroads. There’s this thing I love, writing, and it requires probably more than I’ve been able to give in the past, because I’ve been so busy taking care of a team I love (not my family—they’re always top priority). There was a point in time when I believed I could do both things, equally divide my time between them. But I have now reached a crossroads. I can still be a part of the team, just not the captain. Instead, I need to allow someone else a turn. Doing so will give me an opportunity to focus on my love, finish some projects I’ve started, and move forward in my career.

It’s completely possible to be equally good at two things. But in order to be the best at anything, most of us have to dedicate ourselves to just one at a time.

Like I told Sneezy, it’s not about being selfish. It’s about progressing to the next level.  About juggling the things in our lives to the best possible outcome. What do you think?