I literally felt like I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart was racing. I felt flushed. I was wild with excitement and felt like something had to give – fast. The feeling was so overwhelming that I needed some relief – and release. And then those balls started coming at me. Big ones. Small ones. Smooth ones. Hairy ones (eww…). I had no idea where to begin. I was drowning in this pool of balls and had to figure out fast how to handle all these different types coming at me from all directions. They all needed to be stroked – and fast – in order for me to get to my end game…
OK, enough of that. Maybe a ballsy move on my part – but did I get your attention? And more importantly, are you itching for more?
Like it or not, every woman has to deal with balls. But not necessarily those particular balls it may have sounded like I was talking about earlier. By balls I’m talking about responsibilities. About that never ending “to do” list weighing us down. Our careers and work. Our families and friends. The social calendar that you’re always responsible to handle. Our own sense of self that always winds up being the ball we constantly drop. Or maybe it’s just the stress caused by all of the above. Oh, and don’t forget that somewhere in between juggling all these balls – someone will give you a look that means he needs his juggled too. Literally. So where do we begin? How do we manage to swim through that never ending sea of balls without drowning – or choking on all of them (yuck)?
First, we need to take a look at all the different balls we’re juggling. Let’s get those balls out in the open, and air out their differences:
Big Balls: These take up a lot of space in our life. They often need the most attention and understandably – these are our biggest responsibilities and the tasks in our lives that take up most of our time. It’s our jobs and careers. Our households. The families that may make that house a home. Our financial responsibilities. All very important and the components that make up much of our core. The thing about big balls is that while they are big in their own right, it’s very easy to become overwhelmed by – or worse, completely choke on them – sometimes. And then we’ll drop or completely ignore the other balls we should juggle in life. Wait, there are balls in life other than big balls? Yep, there are – but we often (and understandably) forget that there are.
Small Balls: Small balls need love too. While all balls should be handled with care – small balls often get the shaft. They are often not valued as much as big balls and it’s very easy to pass them over or forget about them completely. We assume that small balls won’t give back as much in return so we naturally won’t pay as much attention to them. But the thing about small balls is that if given the chance – and attention they often deserve – they can actually bring a lot of joy to our lives. These are our simple pleasures in life. Our interests, hobbies, desires, thirst for knowledge, culture and travel all fall into this category. It’s these small balls that are a big part of your true self. So stroke them as needed – and try not to feel guilty about it – you’re not cheating on those big balls.
On a side note – I know I may be blowing your minds with all this “ball talk” but try to keep your eye on the balls I’m really talking about here…and get your mind out of the gutter.
Smooth Balls: Who doesn’t love smooth balls? Anyone that has ever experienced smooth balls knows how easy they can be to manage and navigate. But the thing is this – not all of us will have smooth balls. And if we do, they will need maintenance. Our greatest relationships (whether it’s romantic or our friendships), our health – and even the fact that we are actually waking up every day – are good examples of our smooth balls. Many times, those of us that are lucky enough to have these all the time will take them for granted. Take care of them and cherish them for as long as possible. Because they can easily turn into….
Itchy Balls: Ever hear about squeaky wheels needing oil? Well, when you unfortunately wind up with itchy balls, they need scratching. And many times you have to drop all the other balls in your life to scratch these. They need IMMEDIATE attention to get them feeling smooth again. Keep juggling those smooth balls and chances are you will do your best to avoid getting itchy balls in the first place. Unfortunately, we will all probably experience itchy balls at some point. Itchy balls – sometimes known as emergencies – can pop up at any time, without warning (and they can also become hairy ones). The point is – itchy balls are sometimes our fair warning. Don’t take certain parts of your life for granted. Cherish that love of your life, your health and those friends you can pick up with at any time, like no time has passed at all. Do your best to keep all your balls rotating into the mix. If you don’t, we can experience…
Great Balls of Fire: If we don’t keep all our different balls moving and give them the attention they need – they will eventually explode. And usually all at once. No one needs a 5-alarm ball fire on their hands. It can be a mess – TRUST ME. Cleaning up the mess exploding balls leaves behind can be exhausting – and can really suck (hard). It’s not the end of the world – but if we can avoid having a case of exploding balls on our hands, let’s do our best to try.
It really takes balls to be a woman — brass ones sometimes. And juggling all our balls can be an art. It takes a lot of practice and patience to not only keep those balls moving, but knowing which ones need a little shifting at times. Just remember something — you may not want to, but it’s about giving ALL those balls attention — and learning which ones may need a little more TLC at times in order to find that sweet spot in life. You got this, girl. So go get out there and grab your life by the balls.
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