Sometimes I feel like the circus performer who is spinning the plates. My job is to keep all the plates spinning and not let any fall and break.
I must keep an eye on all the plates. Hustling from plate to plate as I see them slowing down on the sticks they are perched on. All the while the music that is playing gets more frantic and the audience relates their pleasure or disgust as I keep them spinning or they fall and break.
My life often feels like this.
For five-and-a-half years I didn’t know when I’d have to drop everything and take Mike to see a doctor or be admitted to the hospital. When I was home, I felt either frantic trying to get things done or like plates were crashing to the floor.
After our trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN I felt emotionally dehydrated even after taking a day off from work. It took me about three days to get back to “normal”.
In the fall of 2015, when we went to MD Anderson in Houston four times with trips to KU Med Center in between, I would be in a meeting and someone would remind me of something, and my response was “was I here for that”?
Roulette gives me a head toss. One of the Gypsy Vanner’s at Little Bit North Ranch in Colorado where a lot of the EGCM training takes place.
When my tourism job was combined with another and I didn’t take the “promotion” you would think that life would have been less frantic. That’s when I started the Equine Gestalt Coaching® program. That year started out with a 19-day hospital stay for Mike at KU Med Center while John and Charlie held things down at home. I was mostly able to focus on my reading and class calls during that stay.
Then came travelling to Cores along with travelling to KU Med Center. I can’t remember a Core where in the first check-in I didn’t say “I wasn’t sure I was going to make to this one”. There were some where I barely did. One-time Mike was released from KU Med Center, in Kansas City on Monday afternoon and I left on Tuesday night for the ranch in Elizabeth, CO and an 8:00 am start on Wednesday.
Then, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer it was not only Mike’s appointments, but I had some also. Fortunately, the people at KU Med Center were very accommodating of the fact we were driving 350 miles one-way to see them and I could usually get them arranged in one or two days so we would only have to make the trip once.
When I started chemo, I specifically set it on Wednesdays because it’s the one day that there are no school activities planned. We would sometimes leave from Hays after chemo and drive to Kansas City for appointments the following day.
Bugs A Special aka Sassy, my guardian.
It’s no wonder I felt like I was a circus performer.
Now life has slowed down a bit. I have committed this year to be home as much for John’s senior year as I can.
I recently took on a business opportunity and when they asked for an introduction on a FaceBook page I put: Equine Gestalt Coach, Photographer, Metal Artist, and Farmer/Rancher. Wow! Do I have time for one more spinning plate?
With the help of my horses, I’ll figure it out. If you feel overwhelmed or have spinning plates in your life let’s talk.
If you’d like to buy some wine and help me give back to KU Med Center click here.
Don’t let your days turn into Manic Monday.
Onward! Procrastination
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