(no subject)
Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve posted …
There have been a lot of ups and downs. Each one feels too little and local to post when I haven’t been posting regularly. But together they add up to some life changes.
First Parish is doing well this year. Our new minister, Marta, is fantastic. Our new office manager, Joan, is fantastic. They both have their human weaknesses, but the place is in such better shape as Marta nears the end of her first year there.
One result is that there’s less need for me to do things - to jump in, see what needs to be done, fill gaps, put out fires. For the last three years I’ve sort of functioned as unpaid staff. Now that we have solidly competent staff, however, that no longer feels appropriate. It’s good, but it’s been a bit uncomfortable.
So I’m looking around to see what comes next. I feel a need for work. If I were a different person, I could be content with a life of leisure - gardening, cooking, reading, some volunteer work at First Parish and in the various gardens I tend around Arlington, friendships. I see the appeal of that sort of life, and I can enjoy it for a while, but soon enough I get bored and restless, feeling like I’m doing too little with my life.
So I’m stepping back from First Parish. Stepping back means remaining chair of the Property Committee, organizing the lay-led summer worship services, preaching a couple times over the summer, and thinking about what adult religious education classes I want to teach next year. Some people wouldn’t call that stepping back! But for me it is. I’m trying to be less engaged with First Parish as a whole, less immersed in and caring about the whole thing. (Symbolic: I’ve stopped making a habit of attending the meetings of the governing board. For a couple years there that was necessary, but it isn’t any more.)
What next?
I’ve written to a few local ministers looking for opportunities to preach next year. That’s episodic, and what I want is more continuous, but it feels like a way to spread my wings, do something I enjoy and value doing, and make connections. Three of the five have responded positively, which feels like a good start.
I’ve also just mailed a book query letter to Skinner House, a publishing house associated with the UUA. Their website suggests they are looking for people like me - people with writing and editing skills who are immersed in UUism. So I expressed an interest in one of the projects they suggested, and I also floated a trial balloon for a book on Islam from a UU perspective.
But I also want to put it out to the universe … I’m looking for work. Work that will use my skills and mind and make me feel like I’m contributing to the world in some way. Work that’s part-time and flexible and most of the time home-based, for times like the last week when I can’t (for example) walk without pain. No driving and minimal commuting. Paid would be nice but isn’t essential. Feeling like my work is of value to somebody - that’s essential. (I don’t have, for example, the endless self-generation required for writing freelance articles. I’m fine at self-motivation if I know what the goals are, but I need a context to work within, and people who care about the results of my work really help.)
I know this is a lot to ask for, but First Parish provided it at times. But it isn’t any more, so I’m looking for what comes next.
Thoughts welcome … but mostly I’m just offering a life update.
There have been a lot of ups and downs. Each one feels too little and local to post when I haven’t been posting regularly. But together they add up to some life changes.
First Parish is doing well this year. Our new minister, Marta, is fantastic. Our new office manager, Joan, is fantastic. They both have their human weaknesses, but the place is in such better shape as Marta nears the end of her first year there.
One result is that there’s less need for me to do things - to jump in, see what needs to be done, fill gaps, put out fires. For the last three years I’ve sort of functioned as unpaid staff. Now that we have solidly competent staff, however, that no longer feels appropriate. It’s good, but it’s been a bit uncomfortable.
So I’m looking around to see what comes next. I feel a need for work. If I were a different person, I could be content with a life of leisure - gardening, cooking, reading, some volunteer work at First Parish and in the various gardens I tend around Arlington, friendships. I see the appeal of that sort of life, and I can enjoy it for a while, but soon enough I get bored and restless, feeling like I’m doing too little with my life.
So I’m stepping back from First Parish. Stepping back means remaining chair of the Property Committee, organizing the lay-led summer worship services, preaching a couple times over the summer, and thinking about what adult religious education classes I want to teach next year. Some people wouldn’t call that stepping back! But for me it is. I’m trying to be less engaged with First Parish as a whole, less immersed in and caring about the whole thing. (Symbolic: I’ve stopped making a habit of attending the meetings of the governing board. For a couple years there that was necessary, but it isn’t any more.)
What next?
I’ve written to a few local ministers looking for opportunities to preach next year. That’s episodic, and what I want is more continuous, but it feels like a way to spread my wings, do something I enjoy and value doing, and make connections. Three of the five have responded positively, which feels like a good start.
I’ve also just mailed a book query letter to Skinner House, a publishing house associated with the UUA. Their website suggests they are looking for people like me - people with writing and editing skills who are immersed in UUism. So I expressed an interest in one of the projects they suggested, and I also floated a trial balloon for a book on Islam from a UU perspective.
But I also want to put it out to the universe … I’m looking for work. Work that will use my skills and mind and make me feel like I’m contributing to the world in some way. Work that’s part-time and flexible and most of the time home-based, for times like the last week when I can’t (for example) walk without pain. No driving and minimal commuting. Paid would be nice but isn’t essential. Feeling like my work is of value to somebody - that’s essential. (I don’t have, for example, the endless self-generation required for writing freelance articles. I’m fine at self-motivation if I know what the goals are, but I need a context to work within, and people who care about the results of my work really help.)
I know this is a lot to ask for, but First Parish provided it at times. But it isn’t any more, so I’m looking for what comes next.
Thoughts welcome … but mostly I’m just offering a life update.