Life Reflections

As I meander along in the boat, I watch the scenery and contemplate life. Long ago, I did some soul searching, and it paid off. I found a fulfilling career. I also did some spiritual soul searching and have been comfortable with my personal beliefs and myself for most of my adult life. Now I'm searching for something else, something beyond all that. I'm trying to figure out what I want with the rest of my life.

I made some choices early on that I'll always have to live with. Haven't we all? My early choices have finally come full circle. This has allowed one chapter of my life to end. Now, I find myself at a new beginning, wondering what it is I want for the next chapter. I don't want to make the same mistakes, that's for sure! But I also don't have to worry about that because that's one of the wonderful things about life: experience and introspection allow us to change, hopefully for the better.

After spending four days with family in the deep north woods and after much reflection, I think I can put into words what it is I want. I want to be surrounded by family and friends, by people I enjoy spending time with and who enjoy spending time with me. If you're one of the people I've expressed an interest in wanting to spend time with, or if you're someone who has spent time with me around a campfire, sharing a meal, going for long walks, hanging out with our children, or just getting out in the community and participating in whatever event happens to be the choice of the day, then you are one of the people I am thankful to have in my life.

Yes, still juggling!

As I pause to reflect on my life, I realize it is still a juggling act of tossing items into the air, catching them as they fall, and periodically, dropping one here or there. I'd like to think I can do everything, but I know that's not true. It's more important to learn to prioritize and occasionally, let some items fall to the side. It doesn't mean I won't pick them up again later because often, that's exactly what I do.

Ball number one has been in the air since October 25. It is something from my personal life that I'd rather not share with the world. Suffice it to say, it is over for most practical reasons, and I'm relieved about that. That's one ball I can toss aside.

Ball number two: Moving day! Make that days...have come and gone. I cleaned out the old place, cleaned up the new place and moved in record time. I have a few boxes yet to unpack, but nothing major, and all of the rooms have been set up and prepared for regular use. Ball number two can also be tossed aside.

Ball number three: Promote for author Tracy Lawson's book release blog tour. I just finished preparing my post for Ms. Lawson today. Stop by this Friday to see her author spotlight on my official author website: http://slwallace.com/ Be sure to sign up for the Rafflecopter giveaway too.

Ball number four: Home projects! I'm looking forward to tossing these balls into the air because staining my new furniture to a nice golden hue and building my daughter an art center will be so much fun and rewarding. In case you have a young child who loves art and an old crib with a drop down side, here's an idea for you! (This image just got me started, and my imagination took it from there. I'll write about and share my own photos once I've completed my project.)

Ball number five: The MKSP Sizzlin' Summer Book Bash. Sadly, this ball had to be dropped. I was supposed to help host, but with the move and ball number six...something had to go. I still plan to attend the event though, couldn't pass up that much fun!

Ball number six: Biannual vacation with extended family. I'm sure I'll have an upcoming blog post dedicated to this one soon. Fun stories always come out of spending time with my fun family. That's true for most though, right? Right???

Let's take a tally: Two balls tossed aside, two in progress, one to begin very soon, and only one dropped. Not too bad!