Pace, Patience, and Pondering

I've definitely hit that season of the year where pacing myself is more important than ever. Unfortunately, that theory does not generally mesh with reality. You see, when other clergy types go on well-deserved vacay, I gladly cover for them because when I go away in August for my vacation time, they do the same for me. So, what one might think of as a "quiet" time for churches is not necessarily so for pastors.

But that's okay - it just is what it is.

The key is pacing. July is a marathon, not a sprint. Imagine, it's only taken me 13 years to figure that one out! Slow-Learners of the World - Unite!

In other July news, our son who Lives Away is coming for a visit this week. Yay!!!! Later in the month includes fesitivies with other fambly members from Away. It's all good.

My head? Not so much.



Ice is once again a good friend. Evenings are generally rough. After my last set of injections, the first headaches that returned seemed so much worse than they had been prior to the Botox. I still haven't determined if that was just one of those tricks that our primal human brain plays on us (like the way women forget about childbirth pains so easily) or whether I just became briefly unaccustomed to hurting.

Either way, ouch.

So I called to go back and get another set of injections. I've already got the Botox sitting in the freezer at the clinic in The Big City, so I'm all set. Unfortunately for a multitude of reasons, I can't get there until September 19th. Sigh.

Patience is apparently about to become one of my strong points.

In the meantime, I have a massage coming up, and August vacation. I've been doing my physio exercises from back in the day and trying to remember to breathe deeply and enjoy the good days as much as possible. The bad days will pass, and in an odd way, just knowing that in September I can anticipate a time (4 weeks was nice - more would be even nicer!) of relief.....well, most of the time that's enough comfort to get through a rough night.

The problem is Teh Tired. It's July, so my energy tank is on fumes anyway. The cost of taking most of your holiday time in one block is that it's a long time before those holidays come around again! Add in pain and oy - I could sleep pretty much any time of the day or night.

So, there you have it. I'm digging pretty deep, but I'm hard at it until July 31st. Despite the pain/tired combo (no fries thankyouverymuch), I'm getting as much done as I possibly can. I am surprising myself on occasion with bursts of energy that nicely make up for the days when I have trouble finding my shoes.

I'm doing some heavy duty praying these days. For friends grieving, or ill, or in pain, or facing so many of life's most difficult decisions. I look at the Big Hurt going on around me in so many ways, and suddenly I see Perspective staring me square in the eyes. Yesterday a friend gave me a gift that there are simply no words of gratitude that can express what it means to me. Her kindness and generosity in the face of her own suffering moves me to tears. I am so deeply blessed.

In other words, even on the days when I feel like I'm running in mud, I'm feeling so much better than an ever-widening circle of loved ones who are experiencing life in a way that is much, much worse than my own. May God's peace shower down like summer rain on all of you my dear friends.