Thursday, November 11, 2010

Friday's Friend Kelly Fitzpatrick

Today, I welcome one of my Golden Heart Sisters Kelly Fitzpatrick who has a lot to say about juggling life and writing. Please welcome Kelly. (((HUGS))


Hi! Thanks for having me today Autumn!

I was playing one of my Wii fitness games the other day and it got me to thinking. One of my favorite Wii games is Big Top Juggling. It’s pretty much what it sounds like and surprisingly true to life. In the confines of the game I’m a clown balancing on a big ball while I juggle little balls. The story of my life in a nutshell.

Just like life, sometimes I lose my balance and fall off my big ball onto my big butt. Other times I drop my little balls and have to start over with new balls. When all is right with the world, my balance is flawless and my balls are in sync, the game will throw me two giant exploding balls, complete with sound effects and blasting graphics, to test my skills.

I’m not sure what everyone else is juggling in real life. Me, I juggle my writing career, which is a mini juggling act of its own with writing, editing, submitting, research, education, networking, and the offshoot of networking, the dreaded promo. My nemesis. I made a commitment to myself long ago that I would do something related to my writing career everyday. I’ve kept my promise whether that one thing was updating my website or writing a few hundred words. To keep myself on task, I jot down deadlines and goals in my calendar each month. And I recommend a little meditation to clear the mind. Me time, walking, reading or deep breathing.

Being a wife, mother, and homemaker is the hardest juggling act of all. I want to see Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs be a homemaker for a day. Keeping a house clean is a dirty, dirty job. Being a wife, mother, and homemaker requires the skills of a cook, maid, nurse, chauffer, cheerleader, referee, personal shopper, interior decorator, gardener, psychologist, hostess, financial planner, and lover. I’m a big fan of delegation—for most of the stuff. I’m not particularly good at any of these skills. So you’re on your own. But kudos to you if you do any of these things well. My husband says I do it all well and I think he’s just learned to embrace mediocrity.

Then there’s the day job. I don’t have a career outside the home. I have a part-time job to get me out of my pajamas and out of the house. The job also finances my writing career (which is a money pit) and keeps up my office skills—just in case. When I leave my job on Thursday afternoon, I feel like I need some medication. After I chill, I don’t think about the day job again until I go back on Tuesday morning. And even at work I’m really busy plotting murders and love scenes in my head.


Last but not least we need to juggle ourselves, which brings us full circle. People, women especially are busy taking care of everyone around them. Without our health (mental and physical) we cannot nurture others or work or write. That’s why “I try” to eat healthy. I exercise by walking to work and back, along with my Wii fitness regime. I do charity work. I pursue my passion of writing. Moderation is my mantra when it comes to food, fitness and spirits. I also believe in quality of life over quantity, giving me a handy excuse to indulge in a little chocolate therapy and the occasional cocktail or three.

So there you have it, meditation, delegation, medication, and moderation. What are you juggling? Any tips for your fellow jugglers?

Come visit me any time day or night at www.kellyfitzpatrick.webs.com to find out more about me and what I’m juggling.

17 comments:

  1. Great post, Kelly. I find time is even more limited as the family grows and being published because now we need to promo ourselves and our books. I'm working on making lists everyday and focusing on the tasks at hand. Some days it's not easy.

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  2. good to read your take, Kelly. I'd respond more but I'm juggling right now, mustn't drop a ball! :)

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  3. Well Kelly, last night I dropped all my balls and screamed that I was fed up with promo, blogs, emails,...After a fun dinner with friends and three drinks, I pulled myself together and today I am writing again. So it happens to be fed up and explode. You are right we need to juggle our time and allow for relaxation and rewining. Great post Kelly.

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  4. I'm having one of those days myself, Mona. Trying to enter the Rita contest, but not sure if my vanity or sanity is worth the trouble and expense.

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  5. How many jobs is that, wife, mother, home maker, day job, shopper, and writer. Did I miss any? Amazing Kelly what one woman can do when she makes up her mind to!
    If woman were in charge we'd be in alot better shape in this economy. Good luck Kelly and Many sales!
    Great Post AJ!

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  6. Hi Kelly,

    It sounds like you've mastered the juggling act in all areas of your life!

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  7. I am so terrible at the Wii Circus game. Really really atrocious. I'm hoping that's not a sign that my real life juggling attempts are doomed to failure. ;) Love the post, Kelly.

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  8. Oh, yeah, Mary. I can stretch a buck too. I'd have our budget balanced.

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  9. Vivi - I'm not sure if Big Top Juggling is an accurate gauge of real life juggling abilities. Hope not.

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  10. LOL! I'll never forget such sage advice. "Don't. Drop. Your balls." Thank you both for brightening my day!

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  11. Don't shout that in a crowd, eh, Maeve.

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  12. Love it that you were posting this the same day as my OOPS post on the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog. Master jugglers, that's us.

    I was so busy in meetings today (and getting my daughter to the ortho to fix a popped wire, and making phone calls about our health insurance and a billing problem with our cable service, and....) I just now had a chance to check email and stop by the Ruby site.

    How DO we manage???

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  13. Thanks for the smile, Kelly. The idea of being on a large ball balancing smaller balls is enough to make me nauseous, but it is what we do, isn't it? No wonder my belly and I aren't on speaking terms!

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  14. Elisa, how I would have managed would probably have been without cable. I tell my husband I'll do 2 major things per day - no more.

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  15. With all these high tech advances, I thought our lives were supposed to get easier, Gwyn.

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