It started with car maintenance – the usual upkeep and some
areas needing to be fixed. Brought work,
kept busy for 4 hours, feeling confident that I’d be ready for a long round
trip to NJ, NY and back home next week.
Two days later, tire issue unresolved and now my cell phone was not working
properly. Ugh, back to the dealership,
only to find that they could not take care of the problem at that time – had to
inconvenience clients, rearrange meetings etc
Oh, then the bank misappropriated charges and deposits into
the wrong accounts, resulting in a negative balance. Luckily, their customer service is
helpful. Now back to the car and the
phone. I felt like a juggler – not an uncommon place for me to reside.
In the process of feeling overwhelmed by this added stress, I
was also really paying attention to meditation every night, separating my
thoughts and feelings from who I am and the real reality. Not an easy feat, but I kept bringing myself
back to the fact that I am OK, I am safe, and this will pass.
Next day, ready to head out to NJ with my Dad – this was to
be his birthday surprise along with a business aspect for me. We were going to visit Fr. Steve, a lifelong
friend, mentor and someone who is quite frail and ill in the nursing home. Oh, how I want to see him at least once more
before he leaves the earthly plane.
I’ve talked about Fr. Steve and Graymoor in past blogs, but
a brief review is in order. Fr. Steve is
a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, an order whose mission is “that
all may be one”, bringing people of all faith communities together for the
common good. This mission aligns with my
initiative to create the retreat center in Marblehead. Part of my visit was to meet with the
director in order to discuss potential collaboration.
Dad and I were on the road at 6:30 and stopped about 1 ½ hours
out on Mass Pike. When arriving back to
the car, it was dead! Calmly, I called
AAA, got a jump, but was told that the car could die at any point along the
trip. Of course, the decision was to
head back to the dealership for the 4th time in a week. I called ahead to apprise them of the
situation. The service manager felt so
badly and they completed this service, providing a new battery, as it may have had
a short (somewhat of an unknown reason for the malfunction) and replaced my
tire for free.
I continued to feel calm (hey, the meditations are working!),
grateful to have some time with Dad and also to recognize that while this week
was stressful for sure, we were safe and merely inconvenienced. I took Dad to Legal’s for his favorite clam
chowder and in usual demeanor, he joked with the waiter and manager. She enjoyed his banter and gave him a large
bowl to go for his birthday.
All is well in the world and what really brought it to a
place of completion was my taking time to journal last night. I wrote freely without censoring my writing
and man, it was a few pages of complaints, feelings of stress and anxiety, but
by the end, I felt free. I knew earlier
in the week that I needed this catharsis, but felt too busy to stop and pay
attention. Luckily, I caught myself and am
back on track.
May you find peace in the chaos of life,
Julie
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