Getting organized for the road ahead

Just reading the title of this post makes me laugh.

Getting organized for the road ahead.  Right.

But I have been engaged in settling in and getting organized in my new home, my new town, my new position at my new church.  And I realized that I need some things to be organized before I can really get moving.

Not only do I need to know the lay of the land (thank goodness for Google maps on my phone), but I need to feel that I have a handle on where I am.  I need to have chairs to sit on, a desk, my books... I need to put my papers into piles that go into files so I can put my hands on them.  I need to have a calendar to let me know what's happening, what's coming up, what's my responsibility to lead and what I'm attending.  All that stuff.

And I'm finally feeling that I'm getting there.  I get how to read the multiple calendars we have in this large and busy parish and have a general sense of what's going on for the next few weeks.  My office furniture is in place with books on shelves and files in file drawers.  My home is also coming together - I will have a real bed to sleep in tonight and the guest room will be done next week.

We all need to feel that we are embedded in something - in a family, a community, a place.  We need to feel grounded.

Oh, there's certainly a downside to all this.  One can become much too focused on creature comforts, on getting everything just so before being able to venture out.  But it does feel good to have some sense of basic order around me so I'm not just blowing in the wind about everything.

Comments

Ray Barnes said…
It sounds as if your parish is in safe hands Penny.
Glad you're getting settled.
Lovely picture too.
Every blessing.
Perpetua said…
I think getting things sorted out at home is a good focus at this stage, Penny. Otherwise you can't work efficiently and really get to grips with your new post. This stage won't last forever, so let it happen and enjoy the basic creature comforts of a proper bed and your own things around you to make the new place home..
Ray, thanks. Fortunately, we have many hands here, including three other priests. As the junior person, I have many to learn from, for which I am grateful. They have been very helpful in the settling in process.

The photo was of the Diocesan conference center where I spent the last two days. It was lovely there.

Perpetua, you are right. The stage won't last forever but it needs to be done so that I can clear it out of my mental space as well as to really make my home my home.