If I Ran The Circus
“The Circus McGurkus! The cream of the cream! The Circus McGurkus! The Circus Supreme! The Circus McGurkus! Colossal! Stupendous! Astounding! Fantastic! Terrific! Tremendous! ”
Dr. Seuss (If I Ran The Circus)
As I was trying to collect my thoughts for a blog post tonight, I was interrupted multiple times by our puppy, Virgil. First he wanted to go outside. Then he insisted on being chased around the house in an effort to retrieve the tissue he stole from the pantry. And just when I sat down to begin writing, I knocked over a full glass of water that was hidden behind my laptop. This led to another frenzy of moving things off the table and finding towels to dry off the water.
(No use crying over spilled water. Right?)
This comes after a workday in which my schedule was completely derailed by a customer demand and the follow-up actions required to address the situation.
Sometimes life can seem pretty crazy – circus-like even. Life can become chaotic, unpredictable, and unnerving.
Some of us may naturally thrive in a circus-like environment – like Dr. Seuss’ McGurkus. We like the excitement and adrenaline rush that comes with high-flying, fast-paced theatrics. We like adventure. We like the daring and crazy aspect of the whole experience.
Others of us prefer the predictable, more relaxed pace of routine. Some would call it boring, but we call it comforting.
I’m probably more like the second one. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I like the routine that comes with a disciplined life.
As a step back and think about it, there something to be said for both extremes. Perhaps, it might be better to find ourselves somewhere in the middle. Finding a place in life where we can feel appropriately comfortable while experiencing the stupendous seems like a great place to live.
If I ran the circus, I’d probably have gray hair from the high-flying adventures, but I’d probably have the most amazing stories to tell.
As I have worked towards reestablishing my writing routine, I think I’m rediscovering I might have more stories to tell thanks to the circus-like life I get to live every day.
How about you? Does your life sometimes feel like a circus? What would you like about running your circus?
(By the way, “If I Ran The Circus” was my favorite Dr. Seuss book as a child. I remember reading it repeatedly with my Dad. Thanks, Dad!)