The Wheel Turns
Somehow it's been months. October seems SOOOO long ago.
Today I'm feeling slightly bereft, a bit at loose ends. Yesterday was the end of an amazing nine months as a Chaplain Intern at a large inner city hospital in a city that has several. Though my work schedule was on the light side of part-time, somehow I haven't become all that much more integrated into my local community in this new location, even though I just signed the lease for my third year here (as of late August it will be 24 months since I moved in with an airbed and two camp chairs).
I have a relationship with a local Unitarian Universalist congregation, where I've managed to appear for about a third of the Sunday mornings so far, and where I've joined the local Earth-Honoring Traditions group. Perhaps one day they'll decide to become a CUUPS chapter, but many don't self-identify as Pagan - so perhaps not.
My relationships in my coven are strong, even though this year I've missed more rituals than ever before, even during the years when I was spending whole winters away.
I've done a little dancing, but not nearly enough. I've done a little painting, ditto. The loom has been here, set up and at least nominally operational, for eleven months -- but still there's no warp on it.
The summer stretches ahead of me, a bit compressed for the rest of June, some important work in July, and then August nearly free at this moment. What will I do with it?
And then just before September starts, Residency. A 60-hour work week for the first time in decades. Huge important work, plenty of exhaustion. I've watched this year's residents move through excitement, overwhelm, burnout, and back to excitement ... and they still have three months to go. So I may be pretty scarce next year, depending on energy. After laundry, sleep, groceries, and homework, what will remain?
Blessed Be.
Today I'm feeling slightly bereft, a bit at loose ends. Yesterday was the end of an amazing nine months as a Chaplain Intern at a large inner city hospital in a city that has several. Though my work schedule was on the light side of part-time, somehow I haven't become all that much more integrated into my local community in this new location, even though I just signed the lease for my third year here (as of late August it will be 24 months since I moved in with an airbed and two camp chairs).
I have a relationship with a local Unitarian Universalist congregation, where I've managed to appear for about a third of the Sunday mornings so far, and where I've joined the local Earth-Honoring Traditions group. Perhaps one day they'll decide to become a CUUPS chapter, but many don't self-identify as Pagan - so perhaps not.
My relationships in my coven are strong, even though this year I've missed more rituals than ever before, even during the years when I was spending whole winters away.
I've done a little dancing, but not nearly enough. I've done a little painting, ditto. The loom has been here, set up and at least nominally operational, for eleven months -- but still there's no warp on it.
The summer stretches ahead of me, a bit compressed for the rest of June, some important work in July, and then August nearly free at this moment. What will I do with it?
And then just before September starts, Residency. A 60-hour work week for the first time in decades. Huge important work, plenty of exhaustion. I've watched this year's residents move through excitement, overwhelm, burnout, and back to excitement ... and they still have three months to go. So I may be pretty scarce next year, depending on energy. After laundry, sleep, groceries, and homework, what will remain?
Blessed Be.