I spent many years in seminary and in part time ministry, and then burnt out rather quickly in full time ministry.  Who knows what it all means?  Wendell Berry says, “We live the given life and not the planned.”  He meant this, I think, in a joyfully free way: We don’t have to plan, or worry!  Life has been given to us!   And so… I am now doing some freelance editing work and planning to go back to school for nursing.  This is the plan, at least.  See Berry quote above for likelihood of further tweaking.

I live in an intentional Christian community, where we strive to learn what it means to “live the church” seven days a week.  This has been really hard and has probably saved my life.

From time to time I also write short stories and send them to editors, who cheerfully send me rejection letters. I then send them more stories. Sometimes I fear we’re trapped in a co-dependent relationship. I also write poems and (vanity of vanities) post them on my blog. Sometimes I blog true things that happen to me (peripatetics) and sometimes I blog stories (poetry and prose), but often you can’t tell the difference.

Lately I have discovered that it’s okay to draw badly.  It may even be necessary.  The perfect white of my sketch pad and the perfect rainbow of my pencils, paints and oil pastels have been replaced with something that looks like a human lives here.  I decided to call this “art therapy” since I can’t really justify the expense of having myself committed.

I would still be lost without the ability to get lost in a good book.  If it takes you more than one try to get through that last sentence, maybe this ought to give me some idea of why the rejection slips keep coming.

Twenty five things

Remember the facebook meme?  Experts said it followed the same parabolic trend as an epidemic.  As for the naysayers, I say, if you’re doing what you want regardless of peer or societal pressure, you’re bound to do something everyone else is doing sooner or later.  It’s just statistics.

On the other hand, I made mine into a brain teaser, so who am I to criticize people who want to be different?

~

1. All the prime-numbered items in this list are lies.

2. I once saved a small village from a fire-breathing dragon using only a Phillips-head screwdriver and a book of Carl Sandburg’s poetry. (Lie, see?)

3. I have much better things to do than write this list.

4. I am taking a statistics class starting tomorrow.

5. I am not scared at all of statistics.

6. I live in an intentional Christian community in the city.

7. I am not scared at all of community.

8. We live in three houses; Thirteen adults and nine children.

9. The youngest child was accidentally born in the bathtub.

10. Nine is not a prime number.

11. Everything in my life has happened according to a well thought out plan.

12. I believe in free will, predestination and paradox.

13. This statement is a lie.

14. The previous statement is a paradox. See?

15. If you are confused you have a good idea of what it’s like to be in my head.

16. I am fascinated by grammar rules, but not necessarily good at grammar.

17. The world does not scare me.

18. The world does fascinate me.

19. Getting through each day does not in any way overwhelm me.

20. I am on a restricted diet to try to eliminate migraine triggers.

21. I have been seriously ill with migraines for over a year almost two years now.

22. I am applying to direct entry nursing programs.

23. I am not at all scared of going back to school.

24. If I could revisit anyplace in the world it would be Istanbul.

25. Right now I have Viva la Vida in my head.

~

(That’s all there is.  There isn’t any more.)