When the plates keep spinning

Life can sometimes feel like such a juggling act, can’t it? So many plates to keep spinning. And when you live with a child with complex needs, these plates seem to multiply. There are just so many appointments, each one leaving you with a list of “to dos” before the next. Then there’s the everyday stuff... getting kids to school (and remembering it’s World Book Day or something similar), laundry, washing up, life admin (eye roll – who ever has time for that?!), food shopping, cleaning (what even is that?), meal planning and preparation, after-school clubs, oh and not to mention the day job. Where is there ever any space to breathe, let alone notice and appreciate the little joys that each day quietly offers? 

In our family, we try and do “highs and lows” when we have dinner together (though some weeks it feels like a rare luxury to all sit down at the same time). It’s a simple but grounding practice – recognising that the day holds a mixture. There’s been a high point worth celebrating, but there’s also been a low, and both are part of the picture. Personally, I’ve also kept a list for a number of years where I jot down just one positive from each day. Sometimes these can feel hard to find, but there is always something – even if it’s just the way the sun lit up the trees for a moment, or the joy of someone else emptying the dishwasher. 

Striking a balance can feel impossibly hard at times. The overwhelm is real, and it can shrink our capacity to be present with the children who need us most. I don’t have the perfect answer, and maybe there isn’t one. But what I do know is that small practices like these help me pause and notice the rich variety woven into our days. When life is relentless, capturing those moments – however fleeting or ordinary – can be enough to steady the scales. They remind us that while the plates will always keep spinning, we don’t have to lose sight of the beauty hidden in the spin.  

All the plates - what a variety!

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