My Juggling Act

Life gets crazy sometimes.  There is no one I talk to these days who isn't overly busy, slightly frazzled and juggling one too many things.  I don't know about you folks but I can only keep so many balls in the air at any given time.

Some of those balls I refuse to put down.  Taking care of my physical health, my mental health and my diabetes are things that I refuse to compromise.  No matter what.  So those balls keep getting tossed into the air.  Even when other things are vying for my attention.

Other things must compete for their chance to fly.  I love reading books but don't always have time for it.  So I go through times when I'm taking out four or five books from the library on a Saturday morning and spending and hour or two each day devouring them.  After a few weeks of this I realize that, with all my reading, I've neglected my photography so I put down my books, drag out my camera and head out on a few photo shoots.

As I'm importing my photos I realize that it's been a little too long since I've backed up my photos on my laptop so I spent every evening for a week doing backups and clearing out my hard drive.

When I'm training for a long-distance race, reading and photography get put aside because there just isn't time for everything.

The same thing happens with friends and family.  I saw a lot of my family during the months of November and December.  Between weddings, showers, funerals, Christmas and holidays - I saw my family every second or third day for two months.  It was wonderful to have so much time with everyone but it really didn't leave any time for friends.  It was just too crazy.

Christmas is over.  My sisters are back in Israel and Toronto and family time has settled back into the regular Sunday night dinner routine.  That means it's time to reconnect with friends I haven't talked to in a few months.  I emailed my old university friend this week and we discovered that we're both free on Saturday.  We're meeting up for lunch so we can catch up on the last few months, share stories and just enjoy each others' company for a few hours.  Fun!

The next email goes out tonight to my two high school girlfriends.  We see each other a few times a year.  It usually takes an email from me to get the ball rolling but, once it starts, we get all excited planning a dinner somewhere between Niagara and Toronto so we can get caught up on everything we missed.

It's wonderful to have friendships like that.  They wax and wane during the busy times but we always find each other again and, when we get together, it feels like no time at all has passed.  Friendships like that are unconditional.  No questions asked about why it took so long to email.  No questions asked about why we didn't wish them happy birthday until two days after their birthday. There is only happiness when we connect and find the time to get together for a few hours or for the day.

To have such a strong bond of friendship that it survives distance and time apart is a gift and I am so lucky to have friends that have been there for decades.  Through marriage, divorce, children, breakups, deaths - they are there for me.  Just like I'm there for them.

Come what may.