Does anyone else ever feel like a clown on a unicycle juggling breakable decorations and small animals?
Or is it just me?
In talking with some family and friends...it seems to be a consensus.
We are all struggling.
With what?
Oh life in general.
"Are you complaining?" You ask...
Well, sort of. And I am sort of just thinking out loud.
Our life is insanely busy. Self inflicted...I know. We are a family of five. All five of us are now involved in daily activities such as school, work, and practices. There are tests to study for...story books to read...dinners to make...and homework to do. In this family alone, we have 14 practices a week.
A WEEK. (Ok...12. I am being over dramatic here.)
We have five nights of studying/homework between the boys and I. We have five games a week to attend to and cheer for. (between high school, middle school, Jr. league, and flag football)
We have one night of class and occasionally a night of dinner with friends or bunco.
We have dinner...at five different times. We very rarely eat at the table because it is covered with mail, a hanger, a baby gift, a book for my Praxis exam at the end of the month, and my homework.
Just this morning, Coach and I had a fight and both of our bigger boys did poorly on a test at school.
Why? Well...I would imagine it is because the clown on the unicycle juggling breakable decorations and small animals...crashed. And everything came tumbling down.
DOES ANYONE ELSE FEEL LIKE THIS?
I have decided that all this is happening as a series of bad choices. We say yes too often when we really mean no. We spend many moments trying to "fit" things into our schedule while those who we love suffer and wait for our attention. We sign up for every available activity to keep up with other families and their athletes or whatever else it is we are trying to get our kids to be. We work hard and spend every dime trying to pay bills and provide all the extras that "everyone else has"...so our kids don't have to hear us say..."we can't afford that right now."
My name is Amy Nelson and I can't say no to people. I spend time fostering friendships that are more time than I can keep up with. I over schedule my kids. I feed them five minute dinners and forget to help them study for their tests. I am the cause of the wrecked unicycle.
We as parents try to keep up with everything going on in our lives. And we can't. When we don't...we feel like failures. And that is how I felt today. When I got a call from my dear friends who are dealing with a possible brain tumor...I realized...
"It had to happen."
Sometimes we try so hard to keep all the things in the air. We juggle and juggle our lives trying not to drop the ball. But sometimes...we have to drop something to realize...we need to slow down.
Life is too short to stress out about all of the above. Life is too precious to miss the moments we are missing. Life is too fragile to worry about what everyone else is doing with their time, their children, and their money. Those who truly love us...will love us for who we are. Even when our unicycle goes down.
And so...if you are in this boat with me. It's time to jump ship. Figure out what really matters in life...and swim towards it. Everything else...the "stuff" of life...that weighs us down...will sink.
It's time to take our lives back. Who's with me?
Referee of 3
Please join me in praying for the Thome family as they face some challenging days ahead. Jordan and Lacie...we love you.
