It was a time when families had one, yes I said one, TV and chances are (really good chances) that it was black and white. And if most families were like my family, then every Sunday evening about 7 p.m. it was tuned to a variety show called, "The Ed Sullivan Show." Long before the days of internet, cell phones, and modern technology, people relied on Ed Sullivan to entertain them with a 60 minute program of a variety of acts. We lived on a farm and I remember dad and my brother hurrying with the milking chores in order that they could finish in time to watch it. I was just a little kid, but I remember very well the 2 acts that I always hoped to see.
One of them was this guy who trained chimpanzees to do funny tricks. He would always bring 3 or 4 chimps with him to the show. He'd dress them up like little kids and sometimes they'd ride a trike, jump rope, dance with him, or any number of other cute things. I loved them so much and I begged for two "seasons" of Ed Sullivan in a row for my mom and dad to buy me one for a pet. They always said "no". One Christmas I cried enough that they finally gave me a stuffed one for a gift. That did the trick.
My other favorite act was the "plate spinning" guy and he's the reason I'm posting this on my "Miller Bucket List" site this morning. The plate spinning guy was pretty cool-and oh could he spin those plates! The whole object of his act was to see how many plates he could get to spin at one time without any of the plates slowing down and then crashing to the floor. He was talented and I can remember just being glued to the tv set waiting to see what would happen. Sometimes he'd even add things, like a piece of fruit or something, to the plate, just to offset the balance a bit. But he never failed! I know he probably only had less than 50 plates going at one time but to me, an 8-year old farm kid, looking on...it seemed like 500.
As I've gotten older and hopefully wiser with the years, I realize just how much my life has been like the plate spinner's act. I was never happy with just a couple of plates spinning....I had to have 100 going at once. My family and friends will confirm the fact that Peggy Miller has to stay busy doing something, and the more somethings the better. I've been multi-tasking most of my 55 years....long before anyone ever coined the usage of that phrase. And here's where the "bucket list" comes in......
The life of a plate spinner is pretty busy, tiring, confusing, and even very lonely at times. You can find yourself doing things that don't really matter at all to anyone, especially to you, the plate spinner. I guess you do it because it's all you know how to do. Believe it or not, having a bucket list to work on has slowed me down a bit. It has forced me to think about what is really the most important to me in this life. I have started to remember some of the very little things that we often overlook each day because we are all just so dang busy! Even this online blog has enabled me to pause for a moment or two each day and reflect back on what has happened to me. Thus, bucket lists are not only our desires for things to do before we die, but also a reminder of what we should no longer waste our time upon.
Are you a fellow "plate spinner"? If so, take a look at them. Are any of them wobbling right now? How many of them are plates that you could get rid of, could actually allow to fall and break? As your friend, may I tell you that it's ok to let one go, hey even two of them. Please don't wait as long as I did to think about a bucket list and those things that are most meaningful to you in life. I have started to find that life is so much easier if you only set the table for a "few at a time."
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