Starting to sink in...

I have been looking forward to and planning for and imagining and anticipating this sabbatical for months now. It's always been off in the future, far away, a distant glimmer on the horizon. But now that we're back from our vacation and the first of June is only 5 short weeks away the reality of this sabbatical is sinking in. I feel alternately overwhelmed with what needs to happen before I leave and worried that I'm going to miss some crucial detail and so excited I can hardly focus. It's getting harder and harder to remain in the moment, to focus on today, this minute and easier and easier to day dream about what is to come. This is a recurring trend in my life, though. I'm always looking forward to something, always living with one foot and much of my mind off in the future.

And so this week I've begun making lists of things I need to tell my replacement or the congregation, books and other things I want to take home with me for the summer, and things that I have to get done before I leave to either tie up this program year or lay the groundwork for the fall. These aren't the most fun aspects of this journey but it's vitally important to me to do a good job of leaving and to try not to leave any loose ends for others to have to deal with. It would be really easy for me to get really wrapped up in these nit picky details and forget to also continue dreaming and visioning so let me share a little bit of my day to day sabbatical vision.

I envision waking up around 6:00 a.m. or maybe 6:30 to go for a run or to the gym to lift weights. I'll come home, take a shower, eat a leisurely breakfast and do the daily puzzles in the paper. I particularly like Sudoku and KenKen. Once the puzzles are all done. I'll read for a while, perhaps do some journaling. If the weather's nice and I'm at home I'll sit out on our beautiful front deck or I'll go to a coffee shop wherever I am to soak in the local flavor. If I have appointments or other things I need to do that day I'll make them wait until at least 10:00 a.m. to give me ample time for this little daily luxury.

My mother loved to lounge around the house in her pajamas for hours in the morning. Sometimes she'd shower and put her pajamas back on only getting dressed when she absolutely had to leave the house for the day. I guess I got this idea of a slow and leisurely start to the day from her and I am very much looking forward to giving myself this wonderful gift between June and August.

So, while you will not hear from me after the end of May because I do not plan to continue with this blog while I'm on sabbatical (I'll return in September with lots of new material) you can imagine me starting each day in this way and giving thanks to God and to the Madison Christian Community for the privilege and opportunity to do so. I can't wait!