Keeping the Plates Spinning

It’s interesting to look back at your life and try to understand how you developed into the person you ultimately turned out to be. I have been doing that a lot lately. It is said that the older you get the stronger your behaviors become – and I believe that is true. The things you learn to do when you are young can instill lifelong habits. For some people, it’s a good habit like students who organize their paperwork into files, which leads to a comprehensive filing system to pay bills on time and keep records secure. In my case, it was the bad habit of waiting until the last minute to do projects in high school that led to being late for college classes and my first jobs, followed by always trying to play catch up to get everything done.  

My inability to manage my time in my youth grew into a frenzied life that I somehow became comfortable with. I simply didn’t feel productive when I slowed down. I regularly took on more ambitious projects than I needed to in my work and home life, which meant other important tasks had to get juggled or pushed aside. Being able to accomplish a lot fed my ego and increased my range of skills but soon I became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of responsibilities – even though it was my own doing. I felt like one of those circus acts where the guy spins plates on top of sticks – five, six, seven, eight or more at a time, trying to keep them all from crashing to the ground. When one of my plates got wobbly, I had to run over to spin it faster. Then I would add another plate. It was never-ending.

From an early age, I put myself on a path to take on too much and it’s been a crazy merry-go-round ever since. When my kids were in school, I wasn’t satisfied to just volunteer occasionally in the classroom. Before I knew it, I was teaching students about wildlife adaptations and building gardens outside of the classrooms. Sometimes the homework got overlooked. At work, I was always looking to improve what was done before I arrived even if I wasn’t asked to. I was never happy using someone else’s basic design or language.

Even in my community work, I can’t seem to say “no” and I currently serve in no less than four organizations. In the beginning, I felt compelled to get involved when I heard about developers wanting to tear down small mom-and-pop businesses in our neighborhood and replace them with dense residential housing. I had to fight to preserve my children’s and future grandchildren’s way of life. Add another plate, please!

I’d like to say that eventually I overcame all of these bad habits from my youth – but I haven’t completely. Today, even though I still take on too much, I try to work smarter, choose my tasks more wisely and set clear priorities. I no longer procrastinate (much) but approach each deadline systematically, so things get finished. I am an overachiever and a multi-tasker, and I guess I must like it that way because I am not slowing down at all.

Take this weekend for example: After the rain cleared, I attended Art on the Rocks and the Hometown Country Fair and was happy to see my favorite community people there. I also registered students for classes, shopped for birthday presents, took my daughter to a cheer banquet and wrote this article. It all gets done.  

On May 10, the CTM Impact Foundation-LA/CV Cares team will host its Wellness Fair at St Luke’s of the Mountains from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. This event is free to the public. For more information, please visit https://theimpactfoundationla.org/wellness-fair. I will be there; hope to see you too.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com