The Circus Act of a Lifelong All-Rounder

In a discussion with my best friend yesterday, we came to the seemingly obvious, yet equally disheartening conclusion that “we unfortunately can’t do it all”.

As a two-time recipient of my school’s “All-Rounder Award” and a human who has been described as “having her fingers in many pies” -a slightly strange metaphor, but a fitting one nonetheless- this has been a tough lesson for me to learn.

The truth is, there is no way, no structure, no routine, no mindset, that can make me the absolute best artist, singer, guitarist, writer, runner, traveler, reader, friend, partner, daughter, sister and employee in the world all at once. We, unfortunately, cannot do it all.

It’s a balancing act, a juggle and a values experiment all at once. 

But the garden will grow wherever we water it.

We cannot do it all, but we can prioritise the things that we love. The things that make us feel alive. We can write song lyrics on the bus to work and call our parents on the bus home. We can hold a book in one hand, reading while we brush our teeth, accidentally splashing water on it and that’s okay. It’s okay because it’s all part of the circus act. An act that can be beautiful when looked upon with gratitude. An act worthy of applause.

You are the ringmaster, the acrobat, the clown and more. You cannot do it all, but you do get to decide what goes into your show. Do the stuff that feels right for you and I think the rest will follow.

Or not, I don’t know. I’m just a performer trying to learn how to juggle.

xx Rose