by Mia Baumgartner

"So Mia, what are you up to these days?" I hadn’t seen my friend for almost two years. I paused before answering and then asked if she had time for the whole list. In the past year I’ve been employed full time, unemployed, underemployed, and suddenly — since I returned to graduate school — it’s springtime in job land. When it comes to earning my bread and butter in the last 12 months, I’ve feasted, I’ve fasted, and now I find myself at a funky smorgasbord. When she said she’d like to hear what was going on in my life, I took a deep breath and began to rattle off the big and little jobs alike. I wasn’t trying to brag; frankly, I’m glad to have some meaningful work again. Still, I am certain not all of my new jobs are sustainable. After my friend heard my litany, she said, "Wow, you’re doing a lot of this, aren’t you?" as she pantomimed the actions of a juggler. This circus act seems to be a theme in my life lately. At work, when people ask me how I’m doing, I answer, "Just keeping all the balls in the air." Though my friend had not heard me use that imagery, my coordinated juggler’s dance was starting to show.

Have you ever watched a juggler? Several balls go in the air and she juggles them effortlessly. Two hands, three balls — she has control of most of the balls at any given moment. Soon she alters the juggling pattern to make the act even more challenging. Her partner tosses her a couple more balls, and she accommodates them easily. There appears to be no end to the number of items she can keep in motion. Just when we think she has reached her limit, she adds a soccer ball or baby carrier. How far will she go? What will she drop first?

Do you ever feel that life has become one big juggling act? School, relationships, family, work, church, and community each have their place in this coordinated chaos — not to mention the oft neglected dreams, hopes, and talents that we once imagined would be in our main act. How can we keep the balls from crashing down around us so we can actually enjoy this thing called life?

"It is good"—God
Let’s face it, busyness is almost a status symbol these days. Sometimes, we put so much effort into shuttling our families around that we forget why we had them in the first place. We fail to reflect on which of our activities and commitments are life–giving sources of joy. Each one of us will find it useful to adopt the practice of our Creator, who reflected on each day of creation and said, "It is good." Each day God stepped back to take joy in God’s own creation. Each day.

Each of the activities you are juggling fits into one of these seven categories: spiritual, family or community, work, physical, social, cultural, or intellectual. Make a list on a separate sheet of paper with these categories. Now, go through your day and mark how many types of these activities you did. How many hours do you think you spend in a week in each of these areas? I did this recently and realized I had neglected several categories for more than six months. (That’s worse than my flossing record!) No wonder I was feeling like more energy was going into "keeping the balls in the air" than into experiencing the richness of a well–balanced life.

Look at your list again. Circle the categories that give you joy. When was the last time you felt "in the moment" and enjoyed a particular part of your juggling act? Get in touch with that feeling of joy. In your next prayer time, share your desire and gratitude for this joy with God and listen for God’s response. "It is good."

"Just to be is a blessing"—Joyce Rupp
During the past three years, we have spent time as members of this women’s organization listening to God’s call. One of the universal truths that have surfaced is that women everywhere are simply juggling too much stuff.

In the next section, we offer tips or suggestions that might be helpful. If we juggle too many things for too long a time, it is almost impossible to be attentive to God’s call. Therefore, if we want to more fully honor our God–given lives and make better use of our God–given talents, it behooves us to see what steps we can take to refocus and center ourselves. How will we change the world if we’re too busy or too tired?

Even as we realize the need to examine our juggling acts, approaching the act may be a bit frightening. So, say a prayer before starting the next section. Ask for wisdom, guidance, and an open heart. Then, take a breath and dive in.

Juggling Tips
Stop juggling
The first step in uncovering the joy embedded in our juggling act is to simply stop juggling. That’s right, put the balls down. Take 15 minutes and breathe.

Fairly often our lives gather a certain rhythm of routine, so much so that the routine itself is what we seek to maintain rather than the meaning, joy, or passion that used to be the underpinning of the activities.

How does this happen? It often creeps up on us gradually. Our lives become rote and two–dimensional. We "keep on keepin’ on" without thinking or feeling the spark that welcomed this activity into our juggling act. This gradual shift to routine does not only happen with activities. It can happen with relationships as well. Marriages, friendships, and long–term relationships can lose their spark; we can forget what brought us together. (This is why anniversaries and gatherings are so important.)

Our lives become so full that silence, meditation, and time for simply "being" no longer exist. Are we human beings or have we devolved into human doings? As human doings we are defined by the list of tasks and relation- ships we are juggling, not by our inner essence — the insights of the Creator, the joy, the gladness God planted in us when we were born. Stopping is the most difficult step. How many of you are multi–tasking while you read this article? My friends who are new mothers can barely squeeze a 10-minute shower into their day.

Stopping the routine motion is not easy. But without stopping, we will never have time to pray and reflect on the day that we are co–creating with God. God did not create the Sabbath just for us to ignore it. Stopping to rest, renew, and rejoice is important.

Reduce the routine
I am always amazed by snow days and other days when activities get canceled and yet everyone seems to survive. There are probably a few entries on your calendar that are not essential. Recently, I realized that listening to the news when I get up is not essential. I can catch the headlines almost every hour of the day. As I attempt to break this habit in my daily routine, I have discovered that it frees my morning mind for that rare time of quiet in the day. This stillness has given me grounding and fortitude for the day ahead. Often it opens a space for prayer as well.

Recover a sense of wonder
It’s easy in the "I’m busier than you are" world to lose our thankfulness and delight in the small things in life. Perhaps this is because we are moving so fast. Last weekend I walked to the store, rather than driving as usual. I noticed new storefronts, the expressions on people’s faces, some neighborhood art — I even noticed the sun! My urgent grocery list began to fade from the forefront of my mind as I became present to the art of God’s creation and creative people. A sense of deep gratitude and delight rushed over me. I felt more alive and more thankful.

Reframe the routine
Is your juggling an act of duty or adventure? When I am accomplishing tasks, I barely notice. But when I am on an adventure I expect to see new things and gather new insights. During my internship year, I lived in a totally new area of the country. At first the culture was so different; I couldn’t get the hang of it. However, when I decided to treat the year as an adventure in a foreign land, I found much more delight in the details of life there. Cultural aspects that had seemed odd and hard to understand became new and interesting. I am more able to recover these senses of wonder and gratitude when I reframe each routine day as a new adventure. What routine act gave you pause for celebration recently? When was the last time you stood back and said, "It is good"?

Notice and eliminate barriers
It is difficult for you to say no? Do you find it easier to do tasks yourself rather than teach or ask others to do them? Do you expect that situations will probably not work out? Sometimes doing things ourselves works better in the short term, but in the long term it can be overwhelming. What assumptions of "the way it ought to be" are barriers to a balanced and joy-filled life? Maybe it is a habit, a difficult relationship, a commitment to a club, or a misleading assumption about life. What steps can you take to move beyond that barrier?

Be more selective
Before you start your juggling act again, look for the joy that can flow from each activity. Then, with some reverence and gratitude, put the ball back in the air. There may always be activities that are less enjoyable to us. Either eliminate the ball or challenge yourself to discover a glimpse of joy in it.

The big finale
I can state confidently that for everyone reading this article, daily life involves — to some extent — juggling. Thank you for taking 15 minutes out of your day to reflect on your juggling act. This is a good daily Sabbath habit. Businesspeople will say, "Work smarter, not harder"; our inner hippie will say, "Simplify your life"; and our friends will lovingly say, "Take care of yourself." As Christians, we call it Sabbath. Our juggling acts can be counter to God’s desire for us to honor the Sabbath and to live holy and whole lives.

If the joy in your life has become simply a routine juggle, take time to stop the motion each day. Evaluate your relationships, commitments, and activities; reframe some, add some, let some go; and then stand back and uncover the joy of what remains. Pray for guidance every day. Then take a breath, and truly proclaim, "It is good."