[Magdalen] Update on Scott the Younger

[Scott Knitter]

Amen! Wise counsel...thank you, Jim.

Glad to say I said no to helping work on the parish newsletter, which
has been revived and the first new issue is really good (I need to get
them to send it to me for the website, which I still haven't
unloaded). I think I surprised the clergy and editor by swiftly
reacting to an email about ideas for the next issue...I just wanted my
"no" to be as early as possible. Can't believe there isn't another
writer/editor type who could work on that.

I'm working on offloading things that are already stressing me out
weeks before they happen. Scott the Younger a couple months ago worked
with our rector to get our Benedictine community's abbot invited to
speak at our church in early October. Scott went ahead and bought the
abbot his plane ticket on my credit card (oh, $300, no problem at
all?), but what really stresses me is the prospect of hosting him in
our apartment for four days (or even two). My therapist has already
helped me think through the talk I need to have with Scott about
exactly how we're going to do this and whether it can really be a
pleasant stay for the abbot. Of course, if I were he I'd want a
spartan but quiet hotel room closer to the church, with no cats and an
always-available bathroom and no three stories of steps. And we rarely
cook for ourselves; will we take up cooking for the abbot? I don't
have the days off, either. Then there's the convocation in November in
Houston, which I'm lukewarm about attending, and lots of recent
expenses means I'm thinking of saving some money and not going to
Houston. Need to have this discussion pronto. At least by my next
therapy appointment on Tuesday. :)

On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 7:59 PM, Jim Guthrie <jguthrie at pipeline.com> wrote:
> But one piece of advice: withdraw, for awhile, from any activities that also
> stress you out. I realize one can’t do that with the job so much, but
> anything else -- including church -- may require you to beg off or say "no" (which I
> know you've had problems doing). They will understand and they will get along
> without you for a few weeks. And so will anyone else who cares one whit for your
> health. Take the time for yourself, and avoid situations where the stress in your
> personal life boils over in front of others, or worse, ends up directed at
> them.




-- 
Scott R. Knitter
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois USA