EVER JUGGLING
Perhaps this portends post-sabbatical blogging: only being able to do this on a weekly basis. Even as I've carved out this year to slow down, figure out what are the important things, and trade breadth for depth, I'm feeling busier than ever, and finding myself juggling more and more activities. To be sure, my consulting work has really taken off, which accounts for a majority of my work time, travel opportunities, and contact maintenance. And I'm experimenting with things like sitting on boards and campaigning for politicians, and those things take time, too.
But there are other things, too. At church, our youth director if coming off staff next month, right in the middle of our churchwide strategizing about what's next. That has me seeking to strike while the iron is hot: we have to replace her immediate responsibilities, but the more we take our time the more we can make this ministry more important to the church as a whole. How this affects my time management is that practically on a monthly basis, I've been convening key youth ministry volunteers with our interim pastor to help me strategize. (Whereas in previous years, we probably met two or three times a year.)
Any given week has me keeping ties with any number of sets of relationships, whether it is driving five hours one way for my cousin's wedding or having breakfast with college friends of mine who are in town. I'm planning a trip to San Jose to see one friend who's having his first baby and another friend who's leaving the Bay Area to finish his seminary degree. Another friend of mine leaves Philly next month for grad school in Cincinnati, so a farewell party (coed) and one last "guy's night out" is in order. And the man that married Amy and I is visiting from the mission field later this month, and I simply must see him, I miss him so.
All of these connections are desperately important to me, as are my other responsibilities, little and not so little. Supervising the exterior of our house getting painted. Going grocery shopping and cooking dinner ever so often. Trying to get in a good long run at least once a week. Keeping up with my pile of news magazines and books checked out from the free library. Working on my book manuscript here and there (and lately, it's going nowhere).
It just doesn't seem there are enough hours in the week to fit in all I want to do. Does that mean I'm a workaholic? Bad at saying no? Unrealistic about what I can and can't accomplish in my life? Lost in the clutter of doing things right, and not taking the time to do the right things? Hopelessly flawed, to the point that I am unable, save by God's grace, to get off this treadmill I've put myself on? Or simply living life to the fullest, glorifying God with all I got and enjoying Him in everything I do? I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea. Until I've figured this out, I'm just going to keep on striving, keep on resting here and there, and keep on blogging (at least once a week).
Perhaps this portends post-sabbatical blogging: only being able to do this on a weekly basis. Even as I've carved out this year to slow down, figure out what are the important things, and trade breadth for depth, I'm feeling busier than ever, and finding myself juggling more and more activities. To be sure, my consulting work has really taken off, which accounts for a majority of my work time, travel opportunities, and contact maintenance. And I'm experimenting with things like sitting on boards and campaigning for politicians, and those things take time, too.
But there are other things, too. At church, our youth director if coming off staff next month, right in the middle of our churchwide strategizing about what's next. That has me seeking to strike while the iron is hot: we have to replace her immediate responsibilities, but the more we take our time the more we can make this ministry more important to the church as a whole. How this affects my time management is that practically on a monthly basis, I've been convening key youth ministry volunteers with our interim pastor to help me strategize. (Whereas in previous years, we probably met two or three times a year.)
Any given week has me keeping ties with any number of sets of relationships, whether it is driving five hours one way for my cousin's wedding or having breakfast with college friends of mine who are in town. I'm planning a trip to San Jose to see one friend who's having his first baby and another friend who's leaving the Bay Area to finish his seminary degree. Another friend of mine leaves Philly next month for grad school in Cincinnati, so a farewell party (coed) and one last "guy's night out" is in order. And the man that married Amy and I is visiting from the mission field later this month, and I simply must see him, I miss him so.
All of these connections are desperately important to me, as are my other responsibilities, little and not so little. Supervising the exterior of our house getting painted. Going grocery shopping and cooking dinner ever so often. Trying to get in a good long run at least once a week. Keeping up with my pile of news magazines and books checked out from the free library. Working on my book manuscript here and there (and lately, it's going nowhere).
It just doesn't seem there are enough hours in the week to fit in all I want to do. Does that mean I'm a workaholic? Bad at saying no? Unrealistic about what I can and can't accomplish in my life? Lost in the clutter of doing things right, and not taking the time to do the right things? Hopelessly flawed, to the point that I am unable, save by God's grace, to get off this treadmill I've put myself on? Or simply living life to the fullest, glorifying God with all I got and enjoying Him in everything I do? I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea. Until I've figured this out, I'm just going to keep on striving, keep on resting here and there, and keep on blogging (at least once a week).
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