I have been surprised at how very much I have enjoyed the Olympics! I am not a big sports' fan and do not tend to watch much sport on TV (unlike the other members of my family!) but since the wonder of the opening ceremony I have found myself more often than not glued to the coverage or scouring the papers for the results of events that I missed.
What has impressed me most is the humanity of the games. Competitors pushing themselves physically, emotionally and mentally to achieve their best. Yet while only the competitor can compete there are coaches, supporters, family and friends behind the scenes who have been there throughout and who are living each moment of the competition as if they themselves were competing.
Success or failure results in competitors weeping in the arms of those who love and support them. During interviews most paid tribute to family, friends, coaches and supporters. It was touching how many athletes in the closing ceremony were trying to convey messages of thanks and love to their families and noticeably their mothers!
Mo Farah spoke of the loneliness of training and the weeks spent away from his family. How strange that this lonely preparation plays out on a global stage and now the medalists have become household names, people we feel we have a connection with and who are know to us.
This caused me to reflect how this mirrors life. How so often our greatest struggles have to been faced alone and only we can undertake the necessary prepare but there are those who are there for us as coaches, friends and family. Those willing us on, cheering from the sidelines, checking the stop watch, holding a towel or bottle of chilled water. Success in life is knowing what you need to do alone and what others can help you with. It is also about knowing when it is your turn to be the competitor or when you need to offer support or be a "running partner". Life is a balance of going it alone while at the same time being part of a team.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Monday, 23 July 2012
Changing Times
Life is a series of changes and transitions, some of which we choose for ourselves others are chosen for us. Sometimes we embrace the change, other times we resist it and cannot foresee positive outcomes. Either way change brings its own stresses as we move from something that is familiar and comfortable to something that is new and unfamiliar. Any change involves leaving something and often someone behind and launching into the unknown. Sometimes we can imagine that unknown place or situation, we can even be convinced that it is right place to move to, but essentially we have no idea what it is really like or how being there will really feel until we have taken that step of leaving one place and then entering the other.
Usually we do not really know what we have left behind until we have left it, to quote the singer Joni Mitchell "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". Often it is the unexpected things that we miss and sometimes we grieve those losses. The last 10 days have involved three such changes. In many ways it feels like a lot in a short space of time!
I have said goodbye to someone who I have only known a short time but who I am privileged to count as a friend due to that person relocating for work. I have attended the funeral of a lovely man who died aged 94 and who I was also a privileged to count as a friend. In both cases I was pleased for them that they have moved on to better things, the latter forever. Yet in my delight for them I am already sad for myself that they are not part of the everyday pattern of my life as they once were.
As well as goodbyes to individuals we are also saying another goodbye. As a family we are moving Churches and yesterday was our last Sunday at the Church we have attended for almost 10 years. We have been open with everyone for a number of months about our thoughts and sense that it is time to move on. So we are in the comfortable position of leaving openly and with a sense of mutually blessing one another in this leaving process. Formal goodbyes and prayers for one another have been said and friendships continue but it isn't the same as being in that comfortable place with familiar people and it will take time to replace that sense of belonging that we are moving from in the place that we are going to.
Endings are not easy, goodbye is often tinged with sadness and a sense of loss. Those new places are as yet undiscovered and give rise to a sense of excitement and anxiety. A wiseman once said "if you want to walk on water you've got to step out of the boat". I totally agree and by nature am fairly up for change and taking risks but I have enjoyed this chance to pause and share through blogging that the courage it takes to get out of the boat comes at a price and is part of a bigger picture and a journeying process.
I am also aware that many of you are facing situations which are forcing you out of your own boat due to an unexpected change of circumstances and for you the courage and emotional energy needed to deal with the transition and change is so very much greater. Be kind to yourselves and take time to pause and acknowledge how you're feeling.
Usually we do not really know what we have left behind until we have left it, to quote the singer Joni Mitchell "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone". Often it is the unexpected things that we miss and sometimes we grieve those losses. The last 10 days have involved three such changes. In many ways it feels like a lot in a short space of time!
I have said goodbye to someone who I have only known a short time but who I am privileged to count as a friend due to that person relocating for work. I have attended the funeral of a lovely man who died aged 94 and who I was also a privileged to count as a friend. In both cases I was pleased for them that they have moved on to better things, the latter forever. Yet in my delight for them I am already sad for myself that they are not part of the everyday pattern of my life as they once were.
As well as goodbyes to individuals we are also saying another goodbye. As a family we are moving Churches and yesterday was our last Sunday at the Church we have attended for almost 10 years. We have been open with everyone for a number of months about our thoughts and sense that it is time to move on. So we are in the comfortable position of leaving openly and with a sense of mutually blessing one another in this leaving process. Formal goodbyes and prayers for one another have been said and friendships continue but it isn't the same as being in that comfortable place with familiar people and it will take time to replace that sense of belonging that we are moving from in the place that we are going to.
Endings are not easy, goodbye is often tinged with sadness and a sense of loss. Those new places are as yet undiscovered and give rise to a sense of excitement and anxiety. A wiseman once said "if you want to walk on water you've got to step out of the boat". I totally agree and by nature am fairly up for change and taking risks but I have enjoyed this chance to pause and share through blogging that the courage it takes to get out of the boat comes at a price and is part of a bigger picture and a journeying process.
I am also aware that many of you are facing situations which are forcing you out of your own boat due to an unexpected change of circumstances and for you the courage and emotional energy needed to deal with the transition and change is so very much greater. Be kind to yourselves and take time to pause and acknowledge how you're feeling.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Too busy ... to blog!
I've been too busy recently, entirely my own fault! I've been doing lots of worthwhile things and rather neglecting myself and the things which are actually most important to me. Since I stopped working in a law firm and operating within the usual pattern of working 9 to 5 I have found it very difficult to create a sensible working framework within my week. It's disturbing how often I have to check myself, review priorities and make changes.
My thoughts turned to this very issue when I was asked to give one of the Tuesday Talks in Birmingham Cathedral in the current series on the Ten Commandments for the Workplace. The title was Keeping a Balance and my topic was the fourth commandment, "to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy". I have to confess to feeling a little hypocrital as I stood in front of others this week to talk about taking Sabbath and rest!
I'm not talking about keeping Sunday special (although that may not be a bad idea) rather, I have been reflecting on having regular time to relax, rest and reflect. So my promise to myself is to prioritise Sabbath times. Time to remember who I am in the context of the created world and who I am in Christ. I will endeavour to create Sabbath times with four aims in mind:
First, rest – simply to recharge my batteries, to get a bit more sleep, to move a bit more slowly. I was very entertained by something the Dean of Birmingham Cathedral tweeted a couple of weeks ago which read as follows; “Day off: pleasures of exercise, but really can’t run, try “power walking” but whats difference between this and hurrying?” For some people power walking would be perfectly restful but for many it's wouldn't be!
Second, reflect on what I have been doing and say “it was good” – practising delight as part of my Sabbath observance and discipline.
Three, time that dethrones the rule of work – to affirm that my life has more value than the work I do. It is about making a choice to trust God rather than my own ingenuity. By breaking our usual pattern of work activities we service notice on the powers that be that we belong to another kingdom, a place of freedom.
Fourth, focus on God - where possible to meet with others to worship, to spend time alone to pray, to listen to read and to rekindle my first love. It’s a bit like having a date night with your spouse however long you’ve been married – getting back to what it’s all really about!
If you are interested here is the podcast to the talk I gave in Birmingham Cathedral: http://bit.ly/KKENo8
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Birthdays and thankfulness
It was my birthday last week. I really enjoy birthdays, I never do very much, but it is always fun to hear from friends and have a few special treats. This year I was given an ice cream maker which I am very delighted with. A week on and I am perfecting the skill of ice cream making, we have enjoyed mocha ice cream, chocolate ice cream and mango sorbet so far. As a result of the adverse impact this is likely to have my my waistline, and my birthday reflections, I have joined the gym and hope to exercise off the excesses of ice cream indulgence!
As well as an opportunity for treats and celebration of friends and life a birthday is also a chance to reflect and plan. I have always felt glad that my birthday falls at this time of the year a good few months after New Year so that I can see how I'm doing in the light of the resolutions I made. In our family we have another such opportunity in September when a new academic year starts for both husband and son and yet again a routine needs to be established after the summer break as we adjust to new timetables and a different but familiar routine.
I have been reflecting how easy it is to view the past through a false lense - sometimes I recall times as happier than they probably were in reality, sometimes I recall times as darker and bleaker than they were. This is struck me particularly strongly when I met up with a friend last week that I'd not seen for a very long number of years. Catching up on news was lovely but meeting reminded me of a time when I was less settled and much less happy. It is a little bit unsettling to be unexpectedly transported back to a very different time in life and very briefly relive those emotions.
So what have I concluded as a result of a birthday and a trip down memory lane - I enjoy getting older! I have a greater sense of who I am and what my life is about. I have a happier and more settled existence on so many levels, I have a much clearer idea about what creates a sense of well being and how to care for me in the midst of busyness and life. I am more than thankful for what I have. The practical result of these reflections is that I have joined a gym near where I work - a new year resolution for me personally! My other birthday resolution is to practise thankfulness on a daily basis and avoid the risk of living either in the past or for the future.
My January resolution, that this was the year of friendship and I would work hard to meet up with people I'd not seen for a long time, is still going well - this weekend I am meeting up with an old work colleague (we were trainees together) who I've not seen for about 7 years.
Stopping to take stock is good. Finding space to be thankful is even better.
As well as an opportunity for treats and celebration of friends and life a birthday is also a chance to reflect and plan. I have always felt glad that my birthday falls at this time of the year a good few months after New Year so that I can see how I'm doing in the light of the resolutions I made. In our family we have another such opportunity in September when a new academic year starts for both husband and son and yet again a routine needs to be established after the summer break as we adjust to new timetables and a different but familiar routine.
I have been reflecting how easy it is to view the past through a false lense - sometimes I recall times as happier than they probably were in reality, sometimes I recall times as darker and bleaker than they were. This is struck me particularly strongly when I met up with a friend last week that I'd not seen for a very long number of years. Catching up on news was lovely but meeting reminded me of a time when I was less settled and much less happy. It is a little bit unsettling to be unexpectedly transported back to a very different time in life and very briefly relive those emotions.
So what have I concluded as a result of a birthday and a trip down memory lane - I enjoy getting older! I have a greater sense of who I am and what my life is about. I have a happier and more settled existence on so many levels, I have a much clearer idea about what creates a sense of well being and how to care for me in the midst of busyness and life. I am more than thankful for what I have. The practical result of these reflections is that I have joined a gym near where I work - a new year resolution for me personally! My other birthday resolution is to practise thankfulness on a daily basis and avoid the risk of living either in the past or for the future.
My January resolution, that this was the year of friendship and I would work hard to meet up with people I'd not seen for a long time, is still going well - this weekend I am meeting up with an old work colleague (we were trainees together) who I've not seen for about 7 years.
Stopping to take stock is good. Finding space to be thankful is even better.
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Contentment and Honesty
In the context of my work with ChaplaincyPlus I have been in attending and promoting the Tuesday Talks at Birmingham Cathedral. Tuesday Talks, aimed at the business community in Birmingham City Centre, have a long established tradition and attract a number of regulars working in range of organisations. The talk lasts half and hour allowing those employed in the professional and commercial sectors in the City time to get themselves to and from Birmingham Cathedral and eat some lunch in the space of an hour.
The ten commandments are the theme for the current series of Tuesday Talks which is an exploration of whether these ancient laws have any relevance in contemporary workplace culture and practice. The talks are broadly based on John Parmiter's book Ten at Work (you can find the book and podcasts of talks by John Parmiter on the LICC website http://www.licc.org.uk/). For those who are interested the Tuesday Talks are also available on Podcast.
The series (and the book) start at the end with the tenth commandment first. Two weeks on in the series and we have looked at being content by not coveting anything our neighbour owns and remaining honest by not giving false testimony against our neighour. On a basic level I fully understand what this means but, to be really honest with you (I feel obliged to be after yesterday's talk!), on further and more detailed reflection the practicalities are a bit more complex particularly in a commercial context.
Being content with your staff, your premises, your IT systems, your clients, your distribution systems etc seems very countercultural.
Let me give you some examples: while I understand the concept that you do not covet what your competitors have, where does that leave a Christian who sees an individual in a rival firm with the skill set, knowledge and experience that would compliment their staff team? Should they headhunt or seek to poach that person? Or, in the pressure of pitching for work what added extras do you offer a potential client, do you offer things that you are uncertain you can deliver or which are strictly speaking outside the scope of your experience? Or, how do you conduct yourself in honesty when asked if there is spare capacity in your team to help another team, when you know that others want what you have and to release some of that resource risks losing it to an internal rival?
The workplace is increasingly pressurised. People are chasing fewer clients, fewer opportunities, profit margins are tighter, cashflow is limited and a climate of fear and suspicion pervades many (but not all) organisations. In some organisations smaller numbers of staff are undertaking an ever increasing workload. People are being performance managed on quantity rather than quality with that worrying sense that lurking somewhere nearby is someone who would take your job, your client, your opportunity etc.
I wonder if for Christians the key to contentment and honesty is absolute trust in God. Trusting God to provide you with the clients, the staff, the systems, the knowledge, the cashflow that you need for your business to thrive and prosper. I wonder if we covet and lie when we feel threatened, afraid and under pressure. It is easy to believe that God is only interested in our personal life rather than the whole of life. Clearly when the ten commandments were given in the Old Testement obedience to them was directly linked to personal and national wellbeing. God wanted His people to trust Him to meet their needs (whether spiritual, emotional or physical) and provide them as individuals and a community with protection against threats and enemies. Is it so different now? Do we have the courage to believe that God might be offering to do the same for us in our modern age?
I'd love to know what you think!
The ten commandments are the theme for the current series of Tuesday Talks which is an exploration of whether these ancient laws have any relevance in contemporary workplace culture and practice. The talks are broadly based on John Parmiter's book Ten at Work (you can find the book and podcasts of talks by John Parmiter on the LICC website http://www.licc.org.uk/). For those who are interested the Tuesday Talks are also available on Podcast.
The series (and the book) start at the end with the tenth commandment first. Two weeks on in the series and we have looked at being content by not coveting anything our neighbour owns and remaining honest by not giving false testimony against our neighour. On a basic level I fully understand what this means but, to be really honest with you (I feel obliged to be after yesterday's talk!), on further and more detailed reflection the practicalities are a bit more complex particularly in a commercial context.
Being content with your staff, your premises, your IT systems, your clients, your distribution systems etc seems very countercultural.
Let me give you some examples: while I understand the concept that you do not covet what your competitors have, where does that leave a Christian who sees an individual in a rival firm with the skill set, knowledge and experience that would compliment their staff team? Should they headhunt or seek to poach that person? Or, in the pressure of pitching for work what added extras do you offer a potential client, do you offer things that you are uncertain you can deliver or which are strictly speaking outside the scope of your experience? Or, how do you conduct yourself in honesty when asked if there is spare capacity in your team to help another team, when you know that others want what you have and to release some of that resource risks losing it to an internal rival?
The workplace is increasingly pressurised. People are chasing fewer clients, fewer opportunities, profit margins are tighter, cashflow is limited and a climate of fear and suspicion pervades many (but not all) organisations. In some organisations smaller numbers of staff are undertaking an ever increasing workload. People are being performance managed on quantity rather than quality with that worrying sense that lurking somewhere nearby is someone who would take your job, your client, your opportunity etc.
I wonder if for Christians the key to contentment and honesty is absolute trust in God. Trusting God to provide you with the clients, the staff, the systems, the knowledge, the cashflow that you need for your business to thrive and prosper. I wonder if we covet and lie when we feel threatened, afraid and under pressure. It is easy to believe that God is only interested in our personal life rather than the whole of life. Clearly when the ten commandments were given in the Old Testement obedience to them was directly linked to personal and national wellbeing. God wanted His people to trust Him to meet their needs (whether spiritual, emotional or physical) and provide them as individuals and a community with protection against threats and enemies. Is it so different now? Do we have the courage to believe that God might be offering to do the same for us in our modern age?
I'd love to know what you think!
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Local Elections
I feel a little disappointed at the lack of information available for those of us who have questions we would like answered before we decide how to vote next Thursday.
I live in Wolverhampton and have spent 19 years of my adult life living here. I am particularly keen to know what the candidates plan to do about (what I consider to be the significant decline of) Wolverhampton City Centre. There are many empty shops, bars and retail units and some of the larger retail chains have scaled down their outlets and/or the stock they hold. The whole place has shabby, down on its luck look and feel. Many people choose not to shop in the Wolverhampton preferring Merry Hill, Telford, Birmingham or Shrewsbury. Sadly, if visitors come for the weekend I no longer take them into the City Centre to shop or potter around as it tends to be a sad and dispiriting experience.
There seems to be a recognition that something needs to be done but I've not heard or read anything which amounts to a plan, to putting flesh on the bones. Something creative and innovative needs to be done and soon - in my view!
Wolverhampton does have some wonderful features. It's main asset is the people who live here who, generally speaking, are friendly, welcoming, hard working and have a warm humour. It is a city of great diversity on many levels which gives it depths of richness in terms of culture, food, sporting tradition and in the past manufacturing but you have to do more than scratch the surface nowadays to find those things.
The jewels in the crown include: Wolverhampton Art Gallery which is a wonderful place exhibiting a wide range of art and with an excellent tea shop; the Lighthouse Media Centre which shows excellent films in a welcoming environment where you can drink wine out of a glass or hot chocolate in a mug while watching the film (no popcorn in sight!); West Park is a wonderful example of a Victorian Park which is beautifully maintained; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is an impressive venue; and there are also some brilliant independent traders (of varying sizes) and restaurants who provide an excellent service and good quality products while building relationships with customers.
So local politicians and election candidates, what are you going to do about this sad decline? Who is going to think outside the box and come up with something original that will breath life into the City? Who has got the dynamism to encourage business, retail, leisure and entertainment entrepreneurs to invest and do their stuff here so that people can regain a sense of pride and of future in Wolverhampton?
I live in Wolverhampton and have spent 19 years of my adult life living here. I am particularly keen to know what the candidates plan to do about (what I consider to be the significant decline of) Wolverhampton City Centre. There are many empty shops, bars and retail units and some of the larger retail chains have scaled down their outlets and/or the stock they hold. The whole place has shabby, down on its luck look and feel. Many people choose not to shop in the Wolverhampton preferring Merry Hill, Telford, Birmingham or Shrewsbury. Sadly, if visitors come for the weekend I no longer take them into the City Centre to shop or potter around as it tends to be a sad and dispiriting experience.
There seems to be a recognition that something needs to be done but I've not heard or read anything which amounts to a plan, to putting flesh on the bones. Something creative and innovative needs to be done and soon - in my view!
Wolverhampton does have some wonderful features. It's main asset is the people who live here who, generally speaking, are friendly, welcoming, hard working and have a warm humour. It is a city of great diversity on many levels which gives it depths of richness in terms of culture, food, sporting tradition and in the past manufacturing but you have to do more than scratch the surface nowadays to find those things.
The jewels in the crown include: Wolverhampton Art Gallery which is a wonderful place exhibiting a wide range of art and with an excellent tea shop; the Lighthouse Media Centre which shows excellent films in a welcoming environment where you can drink wine out of a glass or hot chocolate in a mug while watching the film (no popcorn in sight!); West Park is a wonderful example of a Victorian Park which is beautifully maintained; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is an impressive venue; and there are also some brilliant independent traders (of varying sizes) and restaurants who provide an excellent service and good quality products while building relationships with customers.
So local politicians and election candidates, what are you going to do about this sad decline? Who is going to think outside the box and come up with something original that will breath life into the City? Who has got the dynamism to encourage business, retail, leisure and entertainment entrepreneurs to invest and do their stuff here so that people can regain a sense of pride and of future in Wolverhampton?
Friday, 13 April 2012
Lone Working
Although I work as part of a team with two other people with whom I have a weekly team meeting which usually lasts about an hour, essentially I work alone. While the role of Chaplain isn't a lonely one and my life is full of meetings over drinks and food with a huge variety of interesting people, I have found working virtually on my own a significant challenge.
Prior to my current job I have always worked in teams, of varying sizes, dynamism and efficiency and I have enjoyed an office and a desk to work from. Now I am often working from home and for the more strategic pieces of work I am have no-one to bounce ideas off or to read and critique draft documents. This is the part of my old life in legal practice that I miss the most! I have discovered that I quickly run out of creative ideas, enthusiasm and energy which the dynamic of team work can so often provide. The rest of the family humour me as best they can and try to show interest and offer assistance when I appear to reach a near standstill.
My work has brought me into contact with a number of other people who face similar challenges in lone working either through running their own business or as a result of having a job where they mainly work from home and do not have access to regular office space. I recently spent an enjoyable evening with a friend who runs her own business as she ran through a presentation that she was giving the following day to a potentital new client. It was fun to be able to give my view and work through her ideas with her - I have yet to hear if her pitch was successful!
Some independent coffee shops in Birmingham City Centre have fixed times when people who work from home can pop in, work, have a coffee and meet up with others in a similar position.
If you work alone I would be interested to hear from you about how you overcome the challenge of brainstorming alone or what you do when you run out of creative ideas. A couple of people have approached me to see if we could set up a Birmingham based network for lone workers - would you be interested in this idea? Do get in touch and let me know what you think - I've run out of ideas for now!
Prior to my current job I have always worked in teams, of varying sizes, dynamism and efficiency and I have enjoyed an office and a desk to work from. Now I am often working from home and for the more strategic pieces of work I am have no-one to bounce ideas off or to read and critique draft documents. This is the part of my old life in legal practice that I miss the most! I have discovered that I quickly run out of creative ideas, enthusiasm and energy which the dynamic of team work can so often provide. The rest of the family humour me as best they can and try to show interest and offer assistance when I appear to reach a near standstill.
My work has brought me into contact with a number of other people who face similar challenges in lone working either through running their own business or as a result of having a job where they mainly work from home and do not have access to regular office space. I recently spent an enjoyable evening with a friend who runs her own business as she ran through a presentation that she was giving the following day to a potentital new client. It was fun to be able to give my view and work through her ideas with her - I have yet to hear if her pitch was successful!
Some independent coffee shops in Birmingham City Centre have fixed times when people who work from home can pop in, work, have a coffee and meet up with others in a similar position.
If you work alone I would be interested to hear from you about how you overcome the challenge of brainstorming alone or what you do when you run out of creative ideas. A couple of people have approached me to see if we could set up a Birmingham based network for lone workers - would you be interested in this idea? Do get in touch and let me know what you think - I've run out of ideas for now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)