This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Blog Boggled: Judicious Juggling

           The header of my blog page describes this blog author as a "juggler of words and phrases".  When I first opened my Google Blogger account I needed to come up with a name for my blog.  I felt that this name should be personally significant and tell something about who I am and what I want to do.  Who am I?  What is the purpose of this blog?

           After mulling over my life to that point, I concluded that one of the more unique things about me is that I am a juggler.  I came from a family of jugglers and I spent many years on the road working as a juggler.  By juggling standards I am certainly not a great juggler, but I am an adequate juggler of objects and a proficient juggler of life.

           A juggler of objects must know his limitations--he should not try to put more objects in the air than he can control.  To advance to a greater skill level the juggler of objects must practice until he attains the ability and the confidence to keep all of the objects in the air without dropping.  The judicious juggler of objects must be ready to set aside time for practicing his skill until his proficiency level allows him to advance to the next achievement in his juggling career.

          My juggling career was balanced by my role as a manager, a husband, a father, and the other roles that I had in my life.  When I traveled with the touring stage production I was wearing many hats.   My responsibilities were to my job, my family, and myself.  Just as the juggler of objects must focus on balance in what he is doing, the life juggler must create a balance in all of his activities and relationships in order to keep life going life as it should.

           In my Blogging From A to Z April Challenge I tossed it out to you.  When you accepted the Challenge you also added to your own personal juggling act.  Most of you are already juggling families, relationships, jobs, hobbies--all of those people and activities in your life to which you feel obligated.  For some of you who were blogging most days already, the Challenge is a piece of cake.  While others have judiciously accepted the Challenge to increase your writng skill level or to provide the motivation to do what you know you should be doing, which is writing.

        Whether you think of yourself as a writer or not, this Challenge provides discipline.  Like the juggler who practices for hours in order to add more feats to his skill and to be able to keep more objects in the air, you the blogger are polishing and perfecting your blogging skill to become better at the blogging craft.  Completing the challenge will not only make you a better blogger, it will make you a better person.  We are all made better after successfully completing a task.

          Even the act of trying makes us better.  Having tried is better than wishing we had.  Life is filled with regrets and the judicious juggler should avoid adding any more.  You who are in the Challenge accepted the dare and we all commend you for that.  Sure, sometimes life gets in the way and we can't finish everything.  You know your strengths and limitations.  If you have to lag behind or even drop out that is up to you, but I encourage you to try.  If you really want to do this, you can.  I know you can!  And I really commend and honor all of those who are hanging in there and seeing this to the end.  When you have finished you will pat yourself on the back and be ready to step up to the next challenge in your life.  You are the Judicious Jugglers.

And now to recognize some of those bright, hard-working talents that are still hanging in there:

Box o' Whine -- Poor thing.  She was having problems with her comments but never gave up.  The problem is now fixed and you can now leave comments.  So if you went to her site in the past and didn't return because you couldn't leave a comment, please go back and try it again. 

Cathy's Capers -- Cathy has been with us from the start and still going strong.  Check out her blonde and Irish jokes for "J" Day.

Fatherhood and Other Common Terrors -- Will Burke is one of our male participants and his blog title says most of it, but he also manages to fit in some philosophy now and then.

Lady Jayne's Pillow Book -- Lady Jayne is keeping right up with all of us with quite a mix of topics.

Melody's Musings -- Melody Green has a nice writing style and asks interesting questions.

Raquel Byrnes -- Raquel Byrnes is a writer--you can tell that when you read her blog.  She is also a commenter-- you see her comments all over the place.

Third Times a Charm -- Trudy is another sweetheart of a commenter.  She's keeping up with the posts even though she's got a baby coming very soon.

Wasabi Mommy --  this Mommy is another one whose comments are starting to be seen with great frequency.   According to her, she blogs to express not impress.  Well, I'm impressed by the way she expresses.

Voiceover -- The Voice has a lot to share with all of us.  This Voice is an inspiration and will brighten your day.

Reader Person --  This young student is, like the name her blog implies, a person who reads a lot. She offers her reviews on books.  She entered into the challenge late and has been trying to catch up.  Also, Spring break has ended so she'll be starting back to school this week.  Stop by and give her some encouragement.

Confesssions of a Watery Tart -- Hart Johnson offers up a slick bit of blog work on her site with a lot to offer.  She usually has something of particular interest for the ladies, but I can certainly appreciate her fine writing.

As I always say, give these fine bloggers a visit and a hello.  Won't hurt to follow them as well--I know they'd appreciate it.

35 comments:

  1. "And now to recognize some of those bright, hard-working talents that are still hanging in there:"

    Ummmm ... YOU????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very interesting info about you as a juggler. I learn something new each time I check in.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your challenge has been a fun, new journey- but I didn't realize how much juggling I'd have to do!
    There are so many talented bloggers out there that I want to read now and comment on, but I never seem to catch up! But I'm trying!
    Thanks again for putting this out there for us. It has sparked my enthusiasm and gained me some followers!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Morning Lee, thanks for posting.

    I'll have to go check out some of those links.

    Personally I am not a good multi-tasker. I can do most things well if I do them one at a time. That being said as you pointed out I do juggle a job, a home, a family, and a writing hobby, soon to be a career (I hope).

    Thanks for the encouragement.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Life is about juggling, Lee. And the key to doing that successfully (as you mention) is knowing when to rationalise the balls in the air. Only by constantly taking stock of our life can we maintain the juggling act.

    ~ Rayna

    ReplyDelete
  6. Excellent blog Lee, never thought of this challenge as a sort of juggling act but the way you put it I guess you're spot on.

    Take care.
    Yvonne,

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great application and mental visual image for juggling life. I cannot put another item in the mix until my skill level increases or I take another item out. Love it. The A-Z challenge is challenging me to think about my beliefs, my journey in this world (today's post), and has brought great joy to each day.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What an interesting post Lee! A fascinating comparison between the act of juggling objects (which I never could get down, even with all of the practice), and the juggling act of life...which we are all a part of!

    I, for one, have been so very pleased to make this challenge a part of my daily juggling act!

    Blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Through this challenge I feel like my family has slowly begun to expand. And I love it! There's a warming up period, as in real life when you meet people, but I can feel the friendships beginning to blossom, just like the beautiful flowers. Spring has sprung in our hearts!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lee, enjoyed learning more about you. This is a very insightful post b/c we all juggling in life but balance is the key.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Arlee, you always have such great posts and it is always a learning experience as you give us a little more of who you are!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Lee:)

    My hearty congratulations to all those who took up the challenge. I know this is a tough challenge and all will come out stronger,resilient,tough to face challenges of not only blogging but life itself.

    I will visit some of the participants and see what they are doing. Perhaps I can add a word of encouragement and appreciation.

    Best wishes:)
    Joseph

    ReplyDelete
  13. >>Completing the challenge will not only make you a better blogger, it will make you a better person.<<

    Ha!-Ha! Well, I doesn't know 'bout dat, rLEE-b, but like you said to me before: "What doesn't kill youz will make youz stronger".

    Well, I think you said "you", not "youz", but youz get the idea.

    Anyway, Buddy, this was a real nice li'l Blog Bit. Good job, my friend.

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McMe

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks so much for all you're doing to make this challenge the awesome experience that is! Having a lot of fun and meeting some great new bloggers! :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I admire you and all the others participating in this challenge. It seems as if my juggling act often leaves me with a big mess on the floor around my feet! )

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Huggling life I think I'm fairly decent at, but juggling juggling I never could master more than two objects and then not for long. Kudos to you.

    Off to go check out these links before lunch hour ends.

    ReplyDelete
  18. FYI- Reader Person's comments don't work. I emailed her so hopefully that will get fixed soon. Cool looking blog.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Tried to comment specifically on those listed today. Was able to everywhere except Reader Person. For some reason her's didn't work.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My, these comments really stacked up so rather that comment to each individually I'll say a big thank you I appreciate all that everyone is doing.
    I have emailed the Reader Person blog about the problem. I believe it is a template issue similar to what Box O' Whine was dealing with--Hopefully "Reader" will be able to resolve the issue.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'll stop by and say hello to some of them. Monday is my blog blitz day where I visit as many bloggers as I can. Have a great week and keep on juggling.

    Stephen Tremp

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lee you are one of the best blog jugglers I know! When you set your mind to something you go all the way!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm still juggling. And this far into it, I refuse to give up!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Stephen Tremp & Tamika-- always appreciate your support.

    Alex -- That's the spirit! And thanks for commenting so much on all of the other blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks so much for the shout-out Lee. And thanks again to everyone who has stopped by my blog to visit.

    I'm enjoying the challenge and truly do appreciate all the time and effort that's been put into it by everyone

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Good j juggler. Sometimes when I think about all that I juggle I'm not sure how I do it, then I realize that without the grace and help of God I would not be able to do it. Yew, we are all jugglers and God is the ultimate Juggler, He keeps all our balls in the air.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Great J post! I thought about juggling too... but as this is a week I am juggling more than usual that post would have taken too long today! :) Thanks for the shout out to my blog... I'm planning on doing some blog-surfing later tonight to check out everyone else's J topics. I am so glad you started this challenge. I needed something to get me back into writing again and I'm loving the opportunity to get to know some amazing writers and bloggers.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hey!Thanks for the shout out.

    I had no idea that you juggling was such a huge part of your life. You were in a stage production? Wow. Once again, thanks for the encouragement and the challenge!

    ReplyDelete
  29. haha, Everyone is doing a great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. What an interesting challenge "arlee" - you have certainly spurred on a fair number of folks! AWESOME! :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks Lee, for the challenge! I have struggled with juggling in many facets of my life. Balance is a tightrope I walk. I have Type 1 diabetes and it is all about balance.
    Thanks for encouraging all of us to continue! I am enjoying reading blogs I might not have found, if it weren't for your challenge!
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Life is one big juggling act, isn't it? I'm enjoying reading the A-Z posts on the blogs I read.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Your post on juggling reminds of the picture book by Tomie De Paola titled Clown of God. It is about a juggler in Italy years ago! Have you ever read it? It is a favorite of our family.

    Yes, yes, we all juggle many things. I love the principle of not adding another item to juggle until you have mastered what you are juggling. A very good principle indeed for saying yes & no to activities of life. I will be using this in my own life!!

    I am enjoying the A to Z challenge and doing what I can even tho' I am slowly ekking out posts. But I am encouraged for it is much more than I have done before. And it has been fun to have a few people stop by the blog which helps me to keep on going.

    Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks to everyone else who commented on this post.

    Yes I used to read The Clown of God to my son. We did love that book as well--I had forgotten all about that one.

    ReplyDelete
  35. thanks for the compliment, how do you find the time Arlee- I am having so much fun, what a blast of an idea, now I want to think up one to do, and since alot of your friends are writers I am dedicating a few posts to creating a charachter to go with the letter. should be interesting LOL

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

Lee