Intermission Inbound
Word is starting to get around that I am taking an "intermission" this summer. This is what other areas of the world call a "sabbatical" - instead of my usual vacation time of a single five-week block, I've already taken one week of that for Darth Daughter's wedding, but I'll be taking the other four, plus a Study Leave week, plus five more weeks, all between the 1st of July and the 9th of September, ten weeks in all.
I need it. My denomination recommends taking these "intermissions" every five years or so, and I haven't taken one since I was ordained in 1998. This has been a very emotional year, with a lot of gain, a lot of loss, a lot of conflict, and a lot of "same old same old" that has been building and building, not just this past few months, but for quite some time now, and I'm realizing has left me very unfocused, very tired, very scattered.
One of the key things that I've noticed is that I'll have evenings with nothing just kind of "appear" - "Wow, I don't have a meeting tonight!" (even though I could have looked at the calendar at any time and seen it!) - so nothing is planned and, too often, nothing happens, either in terms of doing something extra that I now have time for or some kind of focused relaxation. My mind is saying I should be doing something while I'm doing nothing (or, at least, nothing productive of anything, even rest itself!), and thus I'm not even truly resting!
This intermission is going to be a time for some rest.
Now, in typical Boose fashion, I have composed a list of things that I want to "accomplish" while I am on this intermission. Colleagues and friends have heard this and just go "BlaaaaaAAAHHHH!!! Where's the rest?! If you have so much to 'accomplish', how are you going to rest, refresh, and recharge?!"
Fear not. As I said, "rest" is on the list!
Rest. Meditate. Journal. Read. Reflect. Pause. Be at peace. Find peace.
And yes, I have things like "paint the main floor" and other cleaning, mending, patching, etc., on the list. I also have some camping, some time away, and some other things on there as well. I don't have a cottage to be at for the whole time (apparently someone once said that he was going to use his intermission to "consider the works of John Calvin whilst reclining on his dock"), but I have things I want to do so that I can stroke them off the list and declare them to be "done", giving myself that little shot of dopamine as well!
I have about ten weeks until this all starts. There's a lot to do between now and then as well, but I'll be ready for it when it gets here. Oh, yes, I'll be ready for it!