Juggling

Usually, most years, the period of time between the beginning of August, and say, mid-October (depending on the year) is a slow time. There is notoriously no child-care during August: no camps, no schools, no activities. I, myself, have no children, but many people around me, do. Everyone who can leaves the country, and those parents who can’t can be seen on the streets with gaggles of tired, bored, hot, and cranky children in tow, looking like they would like to lock themselves in a cool, dark, padded room for the next month. What I mean to say is, no one really works during August.

Then, just as school starts up again, the High Holidays arrive - and that’s another month of non-work time. How can you work when every other day is a holiday?

This year, somehow, my August isn’t quiet. I find myself with a number of projects on my plate at the same time, and shifting from editing, to translation, to writing, sometimes all in one day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all. These are all interesting projects, and I’m enjoying them. But also, it kind of feels like having to change your clothing every few hours. I take off my editing brain, and put on my translating one, then take off my translating brain and put on my writing one. Somehow there are so many ways in which working with words can manifest itself.

August is usually the February of the summer - that interminable month you have to get through before the changes start to happen: the weather shifts, the days shorten or lengthen, nature starts to metamorphosize into it’s next stage.

This year, it seems, that for me, within the stasis, there is still what to juggle.

Let nobody tell you that defense doesn’t matter in baseball. By which I mean, go Cubs.