Field Notes Vol. 4: Realizations

Something I've Realized: I'm Too Polite

This past week I attended a young adult event in Pittsburgh. There were about 50-75 people there and, after a short talk, there was ample time to mingle, buy drinks and snacks, and hang out. Well, someone I already knew started talking to me and, instead of politely moving on when the conversation turned one-sided, I stood there and pretended to keep listening. I kept thinking I should walk away from that group, but I wasn't sure how to do that. I wasn't assertive enough to do that. 

So it was a good reminder that I need to work on my mingling skills, particularly the art of gracefully exiting a conversation I no longer want to be part of. Here's to being polite, but not too polite!

Something I'm Thinking About: Holiness Is Ordinary

Speaking of that young adult event, the talk was about Pope Francis' most recent apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, which I read a few months ago. The talk was a good refresher and gave me some food for thought this week, specifically this idea: that holiness is found in doing our ordinary tasks more perfectly.

It is hard sometimes to be attentive to the ordinary things, so this definitely presents a challenge. For example, I need to focus more on my real work instead of being distracted by checking email. I need to take the time to prepare a good meal for myself instead of rushing to do more activities. I need to be present to God during my prayer time instead of letting my thoughts chatter endlessly.

Yet, I also find a lot of hope in this idea. It means I am already on the right path. I don't have to grasp at something more or different. No, I simply have to do what I am already doing with God and for God. And that's great! I can do that.

Something I'm Trying NOT to Do: Cram Too Much In

Almost every second of every day, I am making a list. I have to-do lists, to-buy lists, to-plan lists, to-schedule lists, to-tell-people lists, parties-to-host lists, books-to-read lists, and the list goes on... 

Can anyone relate to this? Seriously, it feels like my mind is a never-ending whirlpool of things I need, should, could, want, dream, plan to do. Most of the time, I can effectively channel this energy, but every once in a while I try to cram too much in, to get too much done in one day, or to schedule too much in a single week. And that's not good, because then my calendar becomes my to-do list and it's harder to be present, because after this, I'm on to the next thing...

So I am trying to pace myself. Am I doing a good job at that? Well, I did decide today to procrastinate on taking the recycling out and dropping some donations at Goodwill. I guess that counts as pacing myself.