Enjoy my work

The life coach training with Martha Beck and her master coaches costs only $7000! That’s less than the Shadow Process training and includes certification as an MB coach. It may go up a little in the time it will take me to pay off the car, loan and save the money, but that’s a great price to train with MB and her coaches for work that I think would suit me and at which I think I’d excel.

With that in mind, I’d like to set up a plan for the next two years that involves taking risks, setting and meeting challenges and infusing my life with pleasure and beauty. My instincts are good and when I follow them, joy is the result. Life is going so well at the moment that I haven’t been interested in doing more than basking and floating. A little of that is restorative, but I think more risk would be good for me. My gym work challenges me. I think another good risk would be submitting my poetry for publication and (finally!) making use of some of my publishing/mentoring contacts to get my voice into the world.

Risk. Challenge. Pleasure. Beauty. Need to feel/dream my way into making this a weekly goal. $7000. That’s so doable!

but it is strange at times. Why do so many people assume that because it’s a church, we must be sitting on stacks of cash, all ready to hand out to anyone who comes through the door? I’ve had the usual stories and also had people come in with receipts for clothes and makeup from Target, request cellphones or money for cellphones and tell me that Jesus would cry if I didn’t give them train fare in cash right now.

This week I had a woman accuse me of stealing her mail and courier packages and then tell me she knew I was burning children in the columbarium. Like I have time to catch and burn children and still get a bulletin out every week, schedule all the rooms, clean up the database and the hundred other things I do. I wasn’t going to get into the fact that it’s a repository for ashes, not a crematorium. A guy just called to discuss his love/sex addiction and whether he should come to the Sex & Love Addicts Anonymous meeting tonight. I kept telling him that we just rent the space. Then there was that exorcism call.

Really, really not like any other job I’ve had.

Even with this somewhat nasty cold, I woke up looking forward to coming back to work, setting things to rights (don’t touch my bulletin!) and getting caught up. I feel pretty wrung out, but you know what? I like my job. YEAH!!

My job always involves a lot of interruptions. (That was a horribly clumsy sentence, but I’m going to forge forward without edits in the interest of getting this down before our internet goes out again.) Today I had to fill 12 binders with a variety of materials, some of which I just received yesterday. The copier was being cleaned all morning, I needed to print 240 bulletins, rats ate through the alarm wires, I was helping a grieving daughter plan a memorial service, needed to record new phone messages, get out a big mailing, label all the index tabs and collect a variety of materials for a retreat that starts tomorrow.

::breath::

It all got done and I managed to regain my sense of humor by the end of the day. I learned that making a lunch of cookies leads to an afternoon crash and that music revives me better than coffee.

I like this job a lot. It’s not like any other job I’ve had. (For example, yesterday I fielded a call for an exorcism.) I can see why a lot of people would go nuts doing what I do and never getting more than 20 uninterrupted minutes, but it suits me.

to work somewhere that shows me evidence of people’s generosity. The church gives space to a program for the homeless and the parishioners here have responded to increased need this year with food, toiletries and clothes. Today a food distributor dropped off bunches of food for Thanksgiving. We’re all hearing about how hard times are, economically, but I see people giving, unselfishly and without expectations of recognition or acclaim. I see it a lot. Another reason I love my job!

That’s right. I love doing the Sunday bulletins. It’s such geeky, picky work and I adore it. I’ve finally got the liturgy for the next four weeks and I caught myself grinning and kind of dancing in my chair as I made a copy of the 11/30 bulletin so I could start the 12/7 bulletin. It appeals to the precise and creative sides of me. There’s layout of the announcements, balancing graphics, the challenge of cramming all that info in there and the fun of picking out the cover art.

I seriously love this job. Whhhheeeeeee!!!

the addition of a half hour to my day and the subtraction of a half hour from my lunch time (AKA “they caught me”), I still like this job. The pastor’s husband called me a born problem-solver this morning and I have to agree. I like figuring things out and making sure problems are fixed, not just patched. Today I figured out why the wireless network was down, wrote up a protocol for the volunteers, worked on the bulletin (and almost put a notice for a widows support group directly over the columbarium notice), cleaned up the schedule, processed checks and did a bunch of other little tasks. I’ve also added map links, events through the end of the year and information on the external groups that rent space to the church’s website calendar. One of the vestry members is looking into getting my computer up to speed, too.

My boss (the pastor) and her husband are still out of state and we’re not sure when they’ll be back. But we managed to find another priest, get the word out to everyone and get most everything done. She said today, “Well, you passed the test” and I could hear her husband in the background yelling, “Yeah!”

It’s going to be a challenging job. Lots to do, lots of interruptions, minimal resources and a poky computer. Also, great people, work that matters, constant learning, variety, tons of free cookies, appreciation, medical/dental benefits, retirement, life insurance, a decent salary, short commute and M-F, 9-5 schedule.

The second week of my working interview and my boss’ husband got sick out of state. So it’s just me, the old lady volunteers and a bunch of people who need things done. Today I’ve (maybe) resolved a major scheduling conflict, created the bulletin, shot emails to everyone in creation, learned about church music, figured out on my own how to add things to the online calendar, and talked to the bookkeeper about how I’ll get paid.

These people would be nuts not to hire me. Even with all the random stuff being thrown at me and the endless interruptions, I like it here.

I texted Mr. REALLYneedsaname yesterday that “the bulletin is my bitch!” I’m getting better and better at InDesign and the Sunday bulletin is done. I’ve also cleaned off my desk and found a spot on the grounds where I can go during lunch to stretch, dance and listen to music. So far, I’ve loved the old lady volunteers and I can tell that the pastor and her husband like me and think I’m doing a good job.

Unless something changes radically next week, I think I’ll be here for awhile.