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They say a job change is transition in the higher echelons.

Change has become a much discussed item in my head.  And with a number of people around me.  There is no easy description of loss – for to change is to lose something.  There is no easy description of gain – for to change is to gain something.

Whether negative or positive, equilibrium changes.

My first week of work as an associate pastor at the Kindersley Alliance Church was unexpected.  I began with a statutory holiday.  Actually, I began with a recovery day – I had gained a cold that would plague me during the week.  Even a Thursday night meeting was touch and go until the actual meeting time – with a bit of planning on my part to be sure that the hours prior to the meeting I did not slow down and tuck myself in bed.  And Friday morning I declined an outdoor volunteer work time, hoping to not aggravate my cold.  Saturday (my planned day off) ended with a youth BBQ where I enjoyed some football – the point at which I figured perhaps my cold would survive a bit of strenuous exercise.  Sunday morning the residuals of my cold were still present – although I could croak out a few vocals for the worship team I was on.

As I look back, my first week was not full of the stellar days one would hope to carry into a new job.  I wonder what this next week will hold?

Yes, my cold has been not the best.

What a nice way to say that I have been resting lots, trying not to have to do to much visitation and talking with people, and generally trying to recuperate.

Monday was a no voice day – at least not that I could generate a great squeak or two during the day!  Besides constant coughing.

Last night was good rest and a bit more solid sense of recuperation.  And a few coughs.  That I take as a good sign.

Coughs indeed are not enough.  Best not to have any at all.

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!