Unplugged



Our office is closed this week because of construction. The power is out for most of the week. Frankly, I think all of us are relieved to get a reprieve. For many months, the construction in the church did not seriously impact our life in the parish house. (Other than the need to move all of our services to alternative spaces, but that is another story.)

But during the last couple of weeks, the courtyard has been filled with diggers and bobcats and jackhammers and then las week the same outside the "front" doors. And then we started switching servers and the email was changed and some of us got it and others didn't and I even had the interesting combination of being able to see my emails but only could open some of them. And periodically guys are in my office on ladders.

All of a sudden, we all had headaches. Naturally, my response was to throw a party at my house (conveniently located next door to the church) on Friday afternoon for the staff.

Now we are all scattered to the four winds. Some are on vacation, already planned. Some are on vacation because the office is closed. The sextons are still working this morning to get the freezer/fridges cleaned out (and moved to alternate locations - I took the ice cream) and shut down all the systems, but after that, they get a reprieve until the power comes back on. The clergy are on call, one each day, and making pastoral calls, but also getting a little extra down time in, too.

We've been advertising this situation as a week of being unplugged. Because, we are literally unplugged. But also I think all of us realize that we need to mentally unplug for just a bit right now, too. We've managed, and managed very well, to work around all the things that a year of construction brings. Some things have moved but are mostly intact. Some things have moved and changed. Some things are just not happening right now. It's discombobulating (and some of us are having more trouble than others with that) but not unworkable.

But oh how good it feels to know that it's all just shut down for a few days. We can catch our breath. We can catch up on reading or chores or just sit and be. We can answer emails in our pajamas. We can think without needing to filter out the jackhammers or drilling. We can pray without the accompaniment of saws and drills.

Ahhh.

Happy Monday!






Comments

Perpetua said…
Unplugging sounds like exactly the right thing to do. Enjoy your unplugged week, Penny.
Ray Barnes said…
Try not to get too discombobulated Penny. I'm told it can have serious consequences. Enjoy your brief period of peace before re-entering the fray. :-)
Thanks, Perpetua! I already feel more rested. I like this pace. It will be over too soon, but I'm going to enjoy it while i can.
Thanks, Ray. Discombobulation is definitely a bad thing. So far I'm keeping it at bay.