JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
612.229.3348

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December 2001

“The Parable of the Talents”

I am an all-or-nothing person--and a perfectionist. Like most other character traits, this can have both positive and negative ramifications. For instance, I try my best at hobbies and endeavors which grab my attention, but I am often discouraged if I can’t be measured among the best in any given field. This reached a crossroads in the winter of 1994. I felt the itch to get out of the child care field (I was running WISE GUYS at the time), so I auditioned for Disney World...and “Forever Plaid”...and commercials. I even got down to five finalists for a full-time job as an ongoing character voice on Radio AAHS (now Radio Disney). Alas, nothing worked out, so I essentially took a 7-year break from performing. (Note that such failures led me to stick with WISE GUYS and begin teaching kids how to juggle!)

It wasn’t until earlier this year that I decided that I didn’t have to make it to Broadway (or its equivalent) to still use my gifts (however limited) of singing and acting. Since March, I’ve sung solos in church eight times, performed two one-man scenes, and played “Max” in The Sound of Music. The life lesson I’ve learned was articulated over Thanksgiving weekend at my brother’s church as a woman related her interpretation of the Christian Parable of the Talents.

It doesn’t matter how many talents we’ve been given; it matters that we are good stewards with what we’ve been given. I can do my best at singing, juggling, and exercising even if I’m not Goulet, Gatto or Prefontaine. My success will be measured by how I invested my time and my talents, not how I fell short compared to the superstars. As we look toward a New Year (with its inevitable resolutions), I’ll reinforce this truth in your kids, helping them to realize--and develop--their talents.