Yesterday I met with some friends at a local festival where part of the kids entertainment was a circus skills area. For a while, like a proper grownup, I watched kids having a go at hoola hooping, diablo spinning and poi twirling.
Then a child wandered up to me with a set of juggling balls and challenged me to have a go. Both of us were surprised when I got going quite convincingly within a minute or two. I had learned to juggle years ago but had no chance of keeping a full juggling set and children in the same house, not really.
After a few minutes one of the circus guys came over and complimented me on my technique. I’m sure he does that to all the mummy jugglers but I was very pleased all the same. He offered to teach me some tricks but I asked instead if I could learn how to juggle clubs. Yes, of course, he said, leading me off to a shady spot to start teaching me. Long story short – well not so long, actually, within about ten minutes I understood what I needed to practise to be able to throw and catch two out of three, and was successfully landing them both very quickly.
I would have happily stayed to work on it for as long as it took, but I had to remember that I was a mum and therefore on duty, not there to enjoy myself or learn a new skill simply for the fun of it. Lovely friends saw the look in my eye and valiantly held various of my youngsters back until the pressure became too great and no. 4 started hanging onto my legs, begging for attention.
Back to reality I came.
But my little brush with the circus was a wonderful reminder that I am also me. A large part of what I think I can do is about who I think I am. What I believe myself capable of. The skills and abilities God gave me. Learning to swing clubs in front of my face may not seem like an obvious confidence booster, but I’m taking every hint I’m given that I can be more than just mum – and more than just a juggler.
Due South 