I’m guessing I’m not the only one walking a tightrope most of the time, teetering between exhaustion and joy, anxiety and exhilaration, overwhelm and peace. I think that it might just be that this tightrope is otherwise known as life as a human.

I like the tightrope as a metaphor for life, though. Walking a tightrope is an art in its way, and it takes discipline and determination, courage and self belief. And it’s beautiful and audacious and hopeful. And joyful.

Yeah, life for me is intense right now. There’s a lot of hard work, a lot of strenuous attempts at balance and people pleasing and staying upright.

I imagine that a tightwalk roper gets a certain amount of energy from the enjoyment of the crowd. And, so often, lately, I’m almost at the end of myself and I’m tired, really tired, and a little emotional and a little edgy. And then I see my kids smile, or a child at work laugh, and it is all worth it after all. Worth the risk, the vulnerability and the perseverance.

Ann Voskamp writes of watching a young boy find a dollar she left in the dollar store, and her words describe perfectly how I feel when I see the children I work with happy. She writes,

“his face explodes in this smile, and bits of joy lodge in the brokenness of me, and I feel a bit remade…”

Life is a challenge, but it’s joyous!