Friday, January 06, 2012Friday Five - The A-ha Moments

Kathrynzj has come up with an interesting Friday Five:


This past holiday season is not one I will soon forget, but not for the reason some may think. Certainly, it was a busy one for those involved in the life of the church. The 1-2 punch of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on a Sunday brought more than a few of us to our knees (or hopefully to a more comfortable napping position).


In the midst of the holiday season I had one of those moments where a path suddenly was made clear - A-ha! This experience has prompted me to wonder what some of your A-ha moments may be.


They can be mundane - a realization that you like/don't like a certain food or that you really look good in that color you never had the guts to try. They can be sacred - a way to better pace your day clicks into place or finally a devotion or meditation practice that really works for you. They can be profound - the moment you realized he/she was the one (or wasn't)or the moment you realized where your deepest passion could meet the world's greatest need.

1. I love greens and purples. I have never been able to wear them with my blond hair. And in the spirit of “When I grow old I will wear purple” I decided to really try out purple thinking it would really go with my now white/silver hair: It may go with the hair but it doesn’t go with my skin tones. So much for my A-Ha!

2. Some years ago I finally figured out that extroverts such as I do better if they work on Mondays rather than taking the day off. Sundays rev me up and I was ready to hit the work week on Mondays and take Fridays off. I broke with tradition of the parish and began to open the office on Mondays and I began to use my personal energy better.

3. When I retired, I was truly unhappy with retirement. Granted, I could sleep in any day I wanted and read what I wanted, but I needed to DO something. So I volunteered at the local parish where they needed to have some adult (read senior) bible study. (‘Ask not what your parish can do for you, but what can you do for your parish’) I now have a goodly class that meets regularly and is really contributing to the energy of the parish (and their own). We may start our own chapter of the Grey Panthers! Watch out!

4. I have a-ha moments daily. They usually have to do with technology. I fear the day when those a-ha moments no longer come because I will then no longer be able to converse with people or work my computer or my phone or my kindle or whatever. But what is happening in the technological age is that people my age are being left out of the educational world simply because we do not have technological skills. I have been asked by the diocese to chair the education committee for ‘older adults’. My initial response what “No—not just NO but HELL NO because I don’t know anyone over 55 who is going to identify as an ‘older adult’. We are all still 30 something in our heads. But perhaps what I need to do is develop a curriculum on technological studies for seniors who like I have little or no background in computers, smartphones and pad technology. I think I even have some techie younger women who have decided to stay at home with kids who can teach it.

5. God-moments are always A-ha’s. Haven’t had as many of those lately as I would like, but God is always there so I haven’t drifted too far away. Maybe a bit more singing will prime that pump.