Hello, Cupcakes!
Just a quick check-in from the Land of Transition.
I have very little good advice for those of you who sojourn this land with me except for maybe these few things:
1. Really, truly actually take One Day At A Time. There’s too much new information and stuff to process every day for you to think very far ahead, and for heaven’s sake, now is not the time to look back!
2. Get your hair did. Really. You’ll feel all nice and shiny.
3. Get outside as often as you can. Again, all that new information that your brain and heart and soul are processing? It’s a lot. Getting outdoors will put you in touch with some aspect of familiarity, like trees and sky and dirt and stuff.
4. If you’re free from pulpit duties for the time being, attend worship somewhere! I know that ministers need a vacation, too, but I have never understood my UU colleagues who get nine weeks off from worship leadership during the summer and never attend services that entire time. Sure, I get that the mountains and meadows are your church and everything, but how can you expect your congregation to think of corporate worship as an important spiritual practice if you bail on it any time you’re not actually leading it? Find a nice church somewhere and worship. It’s nice to be anonymous and just receive. Or, you know, you could offer to sing or make coffee or something, too.
5. Try to move close enough to your church so you can go home for afternoon naps.
6. Coffee. Lots and lots of iced coffee or tea. And get to bed before midnight if you can possibly manage it.
7. Don’t hate boxes. It’s not their fault. Try not to swear at the nice, innocent boxes. They’re just doing their job.
“Thanks, Mr. Box! Niiiiiice box. I don’t hate you at all! I am not developing feelings of personal animosity toward inanimate objects! Why would I do that? Because I’ve unpacked and broken down like, a MILLION OF YOU OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS and I still have about 10 to go? That’s okay! Just let me have another large iced coffee and I’ll be just. fine…”
Loving your hair in that box-hating picture! It looks fantastic! Blessings on your transition, dear one. (:
you look glowing and beautiful in the photo! thanks for taking time out of moving to keep us in the loop.
You look so happy! Take as much time as you need to get settled! it will serve you well in the year ahead. Congratulations on your new adventure.
Ha. I came to leave a comment about the accompanying photo, thinking I was an oddball for doing so, but I see I’m not as unusual as I think I am!
But really, the post about moving is great, but when I saw the photo at the bottom of you and the box: WOW. I wish I could identify what makes it such a great photo, but I’m not sure I can. You somehow seem so deeply ALIVE in that picture. Bizarrely so, for a picture of someone unpacking from a move. So vibrant and vital. Is it the energetic/spiritual shake-up of a new house and a new call? Or is it just glossy hair and a new lippy? I leave that to your creative discernment, but either way, you WERK that unpacking vivacity, PB!
[RULLY? Geez, that amazes me because I feel about 106 years old lately and like I’ve been beat by the ugly stick! So thank you!!! Sometimes other eyes can see what we ourselves are missing because we’re looking up too close and can’t see past the blemishes. – PB]
I have been in my new ministry for 4 months as of Aug 1. The best thing I did with those hideous last 10 boxes (they are always the ones where you don’t know what to do with), was shut them in the guest bedroom where I could ignore them for a few weeks while I started my ministry. They were (are) still there, but I am not stressing about them. Last week I even joyfully greeted three of them to unpack.