Tuesday 31 May 2011

Curve balls

I think this is a baseball expression for a ball that deceives you and get you out, rather like the inswinging yorker in cricket. It has been a week of such deliveries. Hearing that my mother had fallen down and broken her leg last Wednesday was a case in point. I guess it didn't get us "out" but it was pretty testing. Us humans have a great ability to compartmentalise, I was on a course during the day and was able to focus well. As soon as it was over I became emotional. Mum is 88 not out at present and I at least was looking for something approaching a century. Actually she sailed through the operation, is walking again and could be out of hospital by Friday. All the more minor things that have happened since then have not resulted in disaster either. Praise God.

Thursday 12 May 2011

Keeping it simple

I am tidying up around my desk today. I have worked in office environments most of my working life. Here are a few tips I would like to pass on.
1. Don't hang on to stuff you dont need; don't accumulate more. The thought that something may come in useful sometimes stops me throwing it away. I will now open one of my desk drawers and share the contents with you:
Sony 5V A.C. adaptor (don't know what it is for). Pair of gardening gloves. Small jar of tiger balm. Pack of blu tac. 3 musical cigarette lighters. 23 AA batteries. 3 AAA Batteries. 38mm (obsolete) table tennis ball. Halogen light bulb (bayonet fitting). Elastic wrist support. Several red biros. Assorted sticky labels (3 kinds) Small note book. Jotting pad. Several miscellaneous keys.Tube of all purpose adhesive. Several plastic coin bags. Ruler. Box of staples. Bike cable lock with no key. Various screws and bolts.2 packs from training I have been on.Jesus army red cross. Coventry benefits advice line coaster.Some post - it notes. 2 pieces of string. This is only a small drawer! I will be sorting it out, promise.
2. Don't worry about throwing stuff away (I really do this, honest). many years ago I worked in a job where the person before me had allowed a lot of queries to build up. After a few months I threw the whole lot away. I never had any come back. The important stuff was simply chased again.
3. Don't keep a master copy folder of forms. Print them from the computer as you need them, you will invariably do this anyway and then have a load of forms gathering dust.
4. Keep desk space as clear as you can.


If you think my drawer contents are a bit weird, try looking in yours!

Monday 9 May 2011

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Nothing to do with the David Bowie song although the stutter (maybe inspired by the Who's "My Generation") is typical of the way changes happens, not smoothly but with several false starts. Change does not come with synchro - mesh. (You won't know what that is if you are under about 50). Anyway where was I?
At the moment my catch phrase is "It's the end of the world as we know it".  Laurence and his merry men are arriving to live at the Anchorage seriously lowering the average age. Added to that it looks like a building for our Jesus Centre will be purchased imminently. Double Whammy.

How do I feel about that? Ok really.  I am looking forward to it. Will I have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself? We'll see.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Falling in Love

Speaking to someone who is going through this experience is interesting. The sense of euphoria that they feel tends to mean that you can say things to them which in the normal run of things would cause a strong reaction and they will just receive it with a smile. Trying to get them to slow down is a different matter. "I have got to have this person now" is their vibe. I have heard it said that falling in love is akin to a mental illness. Does it have any value? Apart from being the subject of millions of songs thus providing an important source of income to many people, that is?

Speaking for myself I think that is a worthwhile experience and often a great feeling but I think that being in love with a person and loving them are two different things. Being in love is about the person experiencing it, loving someone is about them, the two may not be mutually compatible. being "in love" can be about possession, love is much more about what is best for the other person. I remember when I realised that in my own case, when my wishes for the other person's wellbeing and happiness conquered my desire to possess them, the realisation that maybe I was not essential to her happiness, in fact that I could be a hindrance. At that point I released her and gave her permission to end the relationship at any time. What would have happened if I hadn't said that I don't know; as it is we got married.

Falling in love is human, I don't think there is anything wrong with that and even if I did it would not stop it happening. Love is of God. To make the transition from the one to the other was with  me nothing short of a miracle.

So I'm not knocking falling in love, it's got some good bits like romance, can stick around for ever. It is not recommended to use heavy machinery whilst it is happening though.