Uncategorized

In this past while I have been monitoring the stress in my life. 

Not that life doesn’t always have stress.  In fact, good stress gets the title “eustress” to distinguish it from “distress”.

Yesterday I did a self-evaluation, and talked a bit with my doctor about this.  Thankfully you can call on others to provide support, and I have been making enquiries over the last while from family and friends and others whom I trust.

The scale for acceptable levels of stress was much lower than where my self-evaluation placed me.  I realized this was happening and have maintained some disciplines (prayer, exercise, journaling, retreats, etc.) that probably have kept me in somewhat good order.

But there are days, and I want to explore this further.  So off to find out where to head next!  A good journey begins with checking the map out first to see that the destination is actually somewhere you can reach!  And then finding a few stops along the way that make the next stage of the journey attainable.

On Friday I awakened and put my glasses on.  Although cataract surgery has increased my long distance ability, I still need lenses for the up close work.

As I slipped the glasses on, I immediately felt disoriented.  As though one eye was telling me the door knob was close, and the other eye saying that I was seeing it from a distance!!

I quickly took the glasses off, went looking for another older pair (which didn’t really give me much better sight – the lenses were an old prescription).  At least now I could continue the day.

Except in a short while I began to wonder what had happened.  I decided to contact my optometrist.  He was able to get me in within the hour. 

I entered the office with some very real questions in mind.  Was there a physical problem, was there a problem with the glasses, had a meteor fallen from the sky and affected the light waves of the universe (OK, the last one didn’t really cross my mind until now!).

As I sat down with the optometrist, he asked a few questions and then requested that I put on the pair of glasses.  His response was immediate!

“You are missing your lens for your right eye.”

Some days you just fees dumb! 

Other days you realize that you can go around thinking everything is as it should be, and you have lost the lens to your life.  Retrieving the lens certainly helps to get things back into focus!

As my work week begins (OK, a pastor is never really off), I am hoping to work on the hard work of starting a new role here at the Kindersley Alliance Church.

Actually, next week is the starting date, but I’m in preparation mode (which is not a bad thing). 

As my mind has twirled around and looked at new avenues, I sense a new approach to things. 

I’ve married into a family that lives in the unexpected timeframe.  Yesterday is not what was necessarily planned (and planning is not bad, in fact the family plans well).  But in the case where things must change, they change (which is frequently the case). 

Will I learn to live happily with this approach?  I hope so.  Seems stress could be a lot less in this world where we have more than enough stress!

And so, off to plan with the plan in mind that the plan may not happen!

Despite the rain – which cancelled out a drive by of classic cars – we enjoyed an afternoon and supper time with our my daughter, her husband and the grandkids yesterday.

They are active, those grandkids.  They had been to Ontario to visit relatives recently – so they were storytellers to the greatest degree!  And they are always full of questions.

I’m “grandpa with the moustache”.  What a great phrase!  So I keep my moustache for that reason.

I’m also a bit of a storyteller when I’m around the grandkids!  I get them to see things in a new light.  At least that’s what I figure is what I’m doing when their mom looks at me in that sort of way that questions the veracity of what I just said.

And so, a good time had by all.