(I stole the above term from someone else. I had to use it. Donething makes me ridiculously happy upon every utterance.)
It consumed the last two months of my life, but it has finally come to and end. Here are the things with which I am walking away from this onething conference:
onething is officially on.
OK, so onething actually started for me a couple of months ago. Most of November was spent trying to find and hire a bunch of extra people, getting those new people trained, and creating the cashier and crowd-control schedules for the conference. I had other little jobs, but this was my primary onething responsibility.
December was mostly spent filling holes that suddenly appeared in the schedule (hurrah for change… certain, inescapable, perpetual change…). I had more new projects appear in December… but… again… getting that schedule thing to work really did consume a great deal of my time. And communicating with all of the newbies.
Oh… and then we have apparel. That joyous week of opening, sorting, counting, labeling, and boxing apparel. As I walked past the towers of boxes that were filled with clothing, today, I was stunned by how many we really worked through in those few days.
And today… today was spent setting up tables (that were supposed to be ready for us when we got there), setting up thousands of feet of pipe and drape, hanging signs, directing volunteers, moving boxes… and so on… and so on… and so on. It was only seven hours, but my body is done with that concrete floor.
I have to admit… I would love to have a couple of days off before diving into the next five days. But… the Lord will give us strength… and the whole thing is worth it. (Feel free to remind me of that, though… every chance you get until January 3rd.
Just a couple of hours ago, I watched Linda King stand and repeatedly throw Life Bands at Darin Damme. I will fondly remember that moment for a very long time.
Earlier today, I watched Darin and Stacey each suck down a packet of hot sauce. For no good reason. Stacey issued the challence… Darin didn’t care… we pursuaded him on the basis of deepening friendships… and they went for it.
Oh the weird things that we make ourselves do. And the odd enjoyment we get out of them.
It is becoming increasingly evident that I bit off more than I could chew this year. And now I feel like I have two choices:
One – spit it back out, as disgusting, disappointing, and shameful as it may be.
Two – completely choke on it.
Between the prayer room, the bookstore, and the Daniel Academy… I have committed to too many things. I have cut back as much as I could in all of it, and it still isn’t working.
Why am I calling my schedule a fruitcake? Well, it was the first really dense conglomeration of mushed-together stuff that I could think of. Actually, kind of the only one. One large substance made from a tighly packed collection of thematically related elements.
I am a human being, so there are a few basic scheduling necessities:
I sleep (though I’m working on trying to do more of that and in a more consistent way).
I eat (also working on more consistency with that one).
I hydrate (I consider myself to be quite skilled in this activity).
I am also an intercessory missionary, so we add a few more necessities:
I spent time in the prayer room (and I am not shifting these hours to fall between 10 PM and 2 AM each day).
I go to FCF each week.
I raise support.
I go to things like team briefings.
I have service hours (addressed below).
I am a manager at the Forerunner Bookstore, hence:
Read the rest of this entry ?
I have a friend who has already restricted me from talking about work when we are hanging out. Understandable request. Reasonable boundary. Valid desire. But really hard for me to do. I LOVE MY JOB!!! (And, a large percentage of my time is spent there every day.)
In any case, I am going to try to keep myself from constantly blogging about work. I just can’t make any promises. I love the things that I am doing in there every day. I love the people I work with. I love the little moments that happen throughout the day.
So… to prevent myself from rambling on and on about work right now, I am just going to leave you with a few highlights to sum up the week:
- The artists are actually kind of fun.
- We are caught up on EGS (long story I’m not going to tell)… Happy, happy, happy day.
- I have completed what I was almost certain would be an impossible schedule to create. Sigh… it is done.
- Rice Krispie Treat Cereal.
- Dean & Deluca.
- “You don’t count. You and David are the same person.”
- “You could fall away for a little while. Just don’t die.”
- “I appreciate you, Christine.”
- The really super awesome amazing bible that the bookstore gave me for enjoying inventory. It smells glorious. It’s ESV. And it’s oh-so-pettable.
- 146 days to onething. Umm… I mean… I think it’s like four or five months away… or something like that.
The contents of my desk aim to communicate two points: the night watch does like me and my roommate is brilliant.
Now, when my amazing boss viewed the glory that is before you, she didn’t exactly come to that conclusion. Perhaps concerned about the fact that my desk was beginning to resemble someone’s pantry, she asked if I was storing up for winter.
As great as that could be, those drinks are not the beginnings of such a stash. AND… the entire front office of the bookstore could probably not contain enough drinks to get me through the winter.
Given Kristen’s intelligence level and the fact that the above sight did not make her go “Oh, the night watch loves Christine!”… I suppose most of you have not come to that conclusion, either. I will explain…
In my first two weeks at my new job, I have confirmed one fact beyond any contestation: I have boundary issues.
I kind of live at the bookstore now. I will probably end up putting in something like 60 hours this week by the time that everything is said and done. It’s just reality… I’m there A LOT.
Here’s the thing, though… I’m not alone.
The original title of today’s blog was going to be something along the lines of “I’ve had a headache all day and neither love nor hate anything,” to be immediately followed by “But I have been annoyed by a great many things today.”
As it turns out, the title just wasn’t all that practical for me. (I like to try to keep them on the shorter side… and I was aiming to end the “Day__” bookstore series on a happier note… at last as far as titles are concerned.)
It’s true, though… I have had a headache all day. And it hasn’t been a fun one. Thus, my general feelings about everything have been “Eh…” or a simple shrug with no accompanying noise. The world is different when you are interacting with it through the blurring lens and muffling wall of a headache. Different… and more annoying.
BUT… even in the midst of all of that, I realized that there was this one, bright, shining new arrival into my life that is guaranteed to bring a smile to my face. My new hoodie.
