Monday

July is winding down. That's so hard to believe, and also to accept. I'm already beginning to experience the anticipatory grief of saying goodbye to summer's more relaxed pace. Yet, if I pause for a moment and take a step back in time, I remember the excitement I felt towards my classes this past year, and trust that my energy and zeal will spark once again as Fall semester gets underway. Yes, there are many stressful moments trying to balance the workload; but, ultimately, the challenge is well worth the struggle.

I worked a little more this weekend on my ongoing personal goal to "organize" my living space. Tried to tame the pile of papers that accumulated on my desk over the last month or so--and happily was able to find my desktop once again. My greatest accomplishment this weekend (in terms of personal satisfaction) was getting the shelves installed in my bathroom, so at last I was able to tame the chaos in that room.

Since I seem to be someone who functions most effectively on the basis of "deadlines," I am hoping that my awareness of the fact that there is only a month left of summer will inspire me to kick things into high gear and begin tackling more of my "to do list" before my free time runs out. I still have more organizing to do in my bedroom and office, and the entire house is in need of a super good cleaning before my semester begins.

I also recently began a food diary of sorts, as an approach to trying to follow a healthy, well-balanced diet. I am using FitDay, a free online diet and weight loss journal. It offers a number of components, but right now I am focusing on the food journal--it allows me to enter all the foods and beverages I eat in a given day, and I am then able to see how many carbs, proteins, fats, etc. I am getting as well as what percentage of the recommended daily allowance for various vitamins and minerals I have acquired for that day. So, as the day goes on I can notice I still need more calcium before the day is through; therefore, I might have a glass of milk before I go to bed. I have found the experience very insightful as I have had to look more carefully at the vitamins and minerals that are found in all the varieties of food I eat, and it encourages me to look for the ones that provide more nutrients (instead of paying attention to a more simplistic approach that looks only at fat, carbs, calories, etc.).

Since I feel that I am doing a good job maintaining a healthier diet, I still want (and need!) to incorporate more physical activity into my everyday life. That's something else that I hope to jump start before the summer is over, since work and school will demand a lot of my time in the fall, and both call for lots of sitting! If I don't get into the habit of exercising before the time contstraints kick in, then I fear a bleak outlook on sticking with the exercise plan.

Catching Up

If you have read my previous post and are still wondering what the verdict is, you can find more details in the "comments" related to that posting. The short version of the story is that I decided the job I was applying for didn't meet my current needs and I am staying on full-time at St. Mark's.

The next "transition" phase is starting to gear up. The interim rector has three weeks remaining. The associate rector will be on vacation much of August. And the new rector will begin moving into his office the Tuesday after Labor Day. He'll be just in time for my jet-lagged orientation to the St. Mark's Office after my return from a crazy long-weekend trip to L.A. to visit my sister, Cindy. There will be some quiet days in the office this month, but certainly the pace will begin to pick up as the Fall schedule approaches and programs start up again.

Also, my fall semester classes begin the last week of August. I'm hoping it's not too much of an uncomfortable jolt back to the studious life. I'll be taking a core class on The Organization of Information which I think will help me learn more about some of the technical aspects of librarianship. I'm looking forward to it as hopefully providing additional insight into what areas of library work most appeal to me. My other class is Information Sources and Reference Services. I am also looking forward to that class as some direct training on providing reference services--a core skill required for librarianship! Plus, I find great joy in learning new sources of information! Each question is like a puzzle, and I find great satisfaction in helping someone find the answer to their question.

I have more to write, but alas, I am off to do some volunteer work at the Hamma Library at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Cheers!

Building a Career, One Day at a Time

Now that the second interview is out of the way, I have some time to reflect on the process and try to discern whether I should take the position if it is offered to me.

I am torn.

I love my current job, and I am excited about the next few months ahead--I sense that the new rector is bringing with him a unique and vivid energy that will be delightful to see at work at St. Mark's. His first day in the office will be Sept. 4. Already he has cheered me on in one of my recent endeavors--adding a new blog to the parish website. I anticipate that he will be a fun person to collaborate with on similar projects.

At the same time, I feel un underlying anxiety, a gnawing inside, telling me that I need to get some direct library experience to add to my resume if I hope to land a good professional position once I finish my degree. The problem is, there are minimal jobs available with both the hours I want and a pay level that would be satisfactory. Mostly the options seem to be part-time jobs with student-level pay, which is not helpful to a 30-something adult trying to make a living.

So, do I take the opportunity, if it presents itself, to get my foot in the door, trusting eventually it will lead to bigger and better things, or do I stick with my current job until something more fitting comes along? Today I am leaning towards the latter, but I don't know if things would be different if money wasn't an issue. Lots to think about.

I am Beautiful Today!

I spent a chunk of my holiday yesterday doing some shopping for some more professional looking clothes. I forgot how much I actually enjoy dressing up and looking good! Today I feel beautiful inside and out with my flowing black skirt, and eye-catching red top. I took extra time to do my hair this morning, and the smile on my face is bright and natural.

It's a good day to look and feel beautiful as I have an interview for a position with the Columbus Metropolitan Library this afternoon. Hopefully they will see past my external beauty to recognize that I am even more stellar on the inside! ;o)

I am wishing that all could feel as beautiful as I do today!

We Are All Artists

It's a little odd to have a holiday in the middle of the week. I keep thinking it's the weekend, instead of Wednesday. I hope I remember to go back to work tommorow! We don't have any huge festive plans to celebrate Independence Day. Kirstie and I both want to take advantage of the day off to work on projects around the house. She is in the process of putting up another shelf in the garage. Among other things, I think I will try to tackle my office today--see if I can begin to create some order out of the chaos.

I recently finished reading a book called Living Artfully: Create the Life You Imagine. The following quote struck me:

"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be."

-Abraham Maslow

I like this quote because it speaks of listening to our calling. We must listen to our hearts to find out what we are called to, no matter what unique gifts we have. I have thought about this before in terms of vocation--first in seminary when discerning whether or not I was called to become a pastor, and now in my discernment towards becoming a librarian. The peace, the energy, the joy that encircle my journey towards librarianship confirm that I am following the right vocational path path. Maslow's words, however, suggest to me a new way of thinking about vocation--perhaps we each have a number of vocations to which we are called. Instead of thinking about my joy of crafting as a hobby, it is quite different to think about it as an artistry that I am called to do. It's a reminder that we must find time to do the things that we truly love and enjoy--because that, too, is who we were created to be.

I remember in college when one of my campus pastors, Martin Wells, called for students to "Praise God with your mind." As college students we were being called to learn, to challenge ourselves, to ask questions, and to prepare ourselves for future endeavors out in the world. Our highest form of praising God at the time was to embrace our studenthood and make the most out of our collegiate careers.

Prior to reflecting on Maslow's words, I thought of hobbies more as a matter of self-indulgence: things we do because we find enjoyment in them. Now, thinking of such activities in vocational terms, a calling to use our unique gifts in a particular way, it's hard to not see such activities as bigger than ourselves. Instead, they are things we are called to in order to inact and animate our giftedness, and perhaps even further: to share our gifts with others.

I'm reminded of a song from my childhood:

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine

Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine

Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

"What one can be, one must be." Who is it that you are called to be? What things bring you joy and peace and enjoyment? Do you find enough time to be who you were created to be? Are you hiding your giftedness under a bushel, or letting your light shine?