Rumor has it that this was the weekend. I knew when I took on this priest gig that weekends would take on new meaning, and I've developed a new sort of weekend rhythm, but this weekend has felt out of sync even with that, and more exhausting than it should be.
It started with Friday, my supposed day off. I spent several hours in the office preparing for one of the two funerals scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Besides having a nice phone conversation with a friend on Friday morning before I went to work, nothing about the day felt much like time off.
Saturday morning began with an 8:30 am committee meeting. This particular committee is one of those filled with people who are there mostly to make sure that you don't do anything out of line (in this case, nothing out of line liturgically speaking). People are there not because they have interesting things to discuss or projects to plan, but because they see their role as watchdogs of the status quo. So mostly a boring meeting.
The two funerals took up most of the rest of the day. Both were for people who had lived long (91 and 87 years) and rich lives, and both were truly celebrations of those lives--celebrations tinged with sadness at the loss of a loved one, but also full of gratitude for the love and times shared with that loved one. Participating in these funerals (officiant at one and assisting at the other) wasn't onerous and in some ways felt like a privilege, but at the end of the day I was exhausted. So much so that I just came home and sat rather numbly in front of the computer, and fought off a very dark mood.
Today was a fairly normal Sunday in most respects, but in others it was very stressful. The stress came as a result of the somewhat difficult working relationship I've had with my boss lately. On the surface our relationship appears quite congenial, but I know the tension is there, and today it bubbled up a bit--although it did lead to a short conversation after church that cleared the air a bit, which I guess in the long run is a good thing. But I really hate it when things go so awry right before church starts because during church I had this fuming subtext running through my mind as I tried to concentrate on being present to what I was doing--presiding at the Eucharist.
The Kid and I went out for lunch, and I thought I would take a nap this afternoon--that love revered clergy-tradition Sunday afternoon nap! But instead I went out to get supplies for another school project for the Kid, and then decided it was too late for the nap. Nonetheless I did doze off with the laptop on my lap again.
Tomorrow is my other day off and I want to use it well since next Friday and Saturday will again be full. Part of me wants to drive to City in Small State to have lunch with a friend and go to Whole Foods, but part of me wants to stay here and do nothing. Undecided at this point.
2 comments:
It sounds like you need to switch your "weekend" to Monday - Tuesday, rather than splitting it up.
I woould do that but the boss has those days off, and doesn't think we should both be off both days.
Post a Comment