For me, the initial pause and lull of going into Sheltering in Place didn’t last long. Back in early March, it was unnerving to be so uninformed about COVID, but my decision to isolate offered possibilities of unstructured time to try new things. Since I came off sabbatical though, the passage of time seems to be accelerating. And my busyness continues to accelerate as well. Perhaps this is happening to you as our world, our community, our local institutions, our friends, and our Fellowship expands the use of Zoom to stay connected. The choices of what Zoom sessions are available seems infinite—and so easy to attend. And more meetings sprout each week. We used to complain about our busyness of running around to meetings, but now we report on how many hours a day we are on Zoom (the new reality of busy). We joke in my house that you wake up in the morning, prioritize your list of the day’s chores—and then it is 8:00pm. One moment you’re waking and then the day is done.

We’re living in a new reality, but I find my old habits of being very busy and filling my days with meetings somehow made it through the transition unaltered. I don’t mind, for this is our current reality and I immensely enjoy my ministry—but I’m still adjusting to the perspective that this is the way it is—and this isn’t temporary. In my opinion, we’re not going back to “the way it was.”

For me, I’m focusing on choosing carefully what new endeavors I begin. There are so many intriguing, interesting, inviting Zoom events available. I’m getting invites to attend Zoom Webinars, Zoom calls, Zoom Retreats, and Zoom Conversations from around the country and from a wide array of institutions. I chose to attend several new groups, and since March I’ve met more people in our community than in the previous years. My network of connections has expanded—even though I’ve never been in the company of many of these folks. It’s only weird when I think of how it was before COVID. But engaging in more and more Zoom calls can be overwhelming—and hours spent in front of my computer screen can be exhausting.

So now I’m assessing how I balance my time between the energy necessary to sustain essential activities at the Fellowship and “new” endeavors. “New” can be a siren’s call and every month or so I’ll have to make adjustments to keep my balance. Essential activities like Sunday mornings, Pastoral Care, Committees and Teams, and fiscal responsibilities must be sustained if we are to exist. Other activities are important—and there are so many to choose from but can dilute my focus on essential activities. I’m working on balancing my time—and I encourage you to do the same. First you must decide what are essential activities in your life—and then choose carefully what else you add on. We’re in this new reality for the long haul—this isn’t a sprint to the finish—this is living in our new reality.

Stay safe, adjust, adapt, and choose carefully…………………yours in shared ministry………….Rev Russ