The juggler walks into the arena carrying three wooden bats glistening in the spotlights. His costume is colorful, glowing red, orange, yellow and black. His beautiful assistant stands in the shadows ready to toss him a ball or hand him a ring.
He takes his place in the center ring and the music begins. Softly it's tempo guides his hands. He tosses first one bat, then another in beautiful rythm. His muscles rippling in his shoulders and back, he calls for an additional bat. His assistant steps from the shadow and gently lobs the gleaming wood to him. He catches it with ease and without a single mistake adds gracefully to the others he was juggling.
The minutes pass, his brow is sweating. He is now juggling bats, balls, fruit, and boxes. The act is intense, the juggler has reached his limit. How much longer can he juggle so many different items? How much longer will he maintain their perfect balance as they whip through the air? How long until he let's something drop?
The crowd is hushed in anticipation. The crowd is equally excited for the juggler and yet hoping to see him fail. It is bittersweet for his viewers knowing they can't have it both ways.
Then his assistant steps forward and tosses one last ring. It sails high and straight, it's smooth circular lines immediately blending into the rythmic motion of the other items. The beat of the music is faster now, matching the rotation of items gliding through the air. The crowd gasps in amazement. The juggler caught it and continued on as if he could juggle all night.
In his stance, his posture the crowd can see fatigue. They know the act must end soon. They know it is coming to a close. They can tell by his breathing, his arms motions, and the rapidly beating sounds of the drums. Soon it will be over and inside the crowd is sad, because it will only be a memory.
The music reaches a crescendo and the juggler catches his various tools, one by one. Lastly he catches a flying apple and smiling at the crowd he takes a big bite out of it. The crowd goes wild with applause, leaping to their feet to show their appreciation.
The assistant begins gathering the items to remove from the ring. The juggler takes his bows and turns to walk off into the dark. His moment of fame fleeting and gone.
All of us are jugglers in our lives. We juggle work, family, finances, education, healthcare, friends, hobbies and so much more. Some can juggle lots of things, others are overwhelmed by just one or two. By the end of our performance, most of us are breathless and fatigued. Our crowd of family, friends and co-workers watch us, waiting to see if we can keep our balance or if we will fail miserably. The anticipation is palpable. People love a train wreck. When it's all over each one of us, whether a master juggler or a novice, will walk off into the dark. Our act is over, the show must go on.
