Report From PIA – February 2
I often remark that like many garden communicators, I keep several balls in the air. Writing books, or speaking, isn’t usually enough to make a living. So like many of my fellow writers who focus on gardens, I do other things. In my case, it’s landscape consulting and hosting a weekly radio program.
Not to mention balancing in the rest of life. Volunteer work, positions of responsibility with the organizations I belong to, and personal interests are added onto professional work. This is just how life is for most people, I think: we are jugglers.
Juggling isn’t just about keeping it all afloat. Like the entertainers who rotate balls, bowling pins or flaming torches in the air, when you’re involved in several activities, it’s about developing a rhythm.
When I looked into juggling, I discovered that there are as many juggling moves as there are ways of gardening. All depend on a particular tempo or regularity I suppose, and I think that a predicable pace is also helpful for those of us who juggle metaphorically as well.
All of this on my mind because my day did not develop with the rhythm I expected. Unforeseen events turned things around and made me focus in different directions and change my plans. In the end, all is well, but for a while my work, expectations and arrangements fell to the floor and bounced around like dropped balls and missed pins.
We gardeners/jugglers/humans need to learn the art of being rhythmically consistent, while at the same time remaining flexible…and willing to pick up what we’ve dropped, and start again.
What does this photo have to do with this report from PIA? It was taken at the Farmer's Market on Martha's Vineyard, so not related directly to my day. But it's a pretty shot, you must admit, and I need something quickly because it's after 10 PM and I'm exhausted from a busy day that didn't go as planned. So I'm juggling here...
