Juggling porcupines and elephants. Sometimes that’s what it feels like I do. Elephants are gentle, but big and heavy. Porcupines are small and prickly. I was looking forward to the end of the school year, when my son James and I get a little time off. The weeks of May and the beginning of June were tough on many fronts. The broken phone was followed soon after by unexpected car trouble. So school ended, and I found I was still overwhelmed.

I did what a writer would do. I wrote down all those problems, large and small, that are my porcupines and elephants. There were seven. I looked at each one, and decided if it was something that could be handled now, or in the future, or not at all. That made me feel a little better.

Right now I am catching up on writing work. Just getting the material from the repaired phone and the backup phone took a surprisingly large bit of effort. I finished four articles on the IU20 graduation. Over 40 young men and women graduated through the IU. They represent a large swath of the Valley, and a large number of school districts. This year, I am trying to see that all of the graduates receive recognition. The students served by the IU spent six-plus years in high school, and they deserve accolades for that.

I am also catching up on housework. It is amazing what two adults and a child can mess up. On the bright side, I discovered James will wash dishes, if I stand with him and dry as he washes. He found washing more interesting than drying.

We also finally solved his chronic dry scalp problem. That was a porcupine for a long time. It took several doctor’s visits, and a new medicine, but his head is finally healthy. That is a huge relief.

Everything else is taking more time to resolve. But that at least I understand. Time doesn’t heal everything, or fix everything, but it can make an elephant size difference.