Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ticking Bomb Atmosphere

Can I just say that today I'm the person who has the job you're all thankful that you don't have?

The atmosphere around my office has been weird for the last several months, sometimes spiraling out of control. I've written about that before.

Some stuff happened at a major meeting over the weekend that has once again stirred things in our building. This time they've managed to involve a separate company on the floor below us.

Emotions are running high, and there is tension in the air.

I'm sitting right in the middle of it.

AND, I'd also like to ask when I became the person to whom the office staff air their grievances with each other, and with people from other organizations?

I was talking with the girl who had this job before me (a friend, and the reason I now have the job). She described my job as being like a "bartender." It's an accurate description. I even have an elbow level counter the whole way around my desk, for people to lean on as they air their problems.

It's fine in small doses, but, in the midst of everything else, I'm not loving it.

And besides - I've been so sensitive to the spiritual atmosphere in places and people lately that I'm usually picking up on (and occasionally experiencing as my own without immediately realizing it) all their really negative emotions long before they ever start speaking.

Don't get me wrong - I actually like my job, my coworkers most days, but this week, today, I'm tired, and I don't really want to be sitting here in the midst of this explosive atmosphere.

Tuesday morning ramblings

In the last day, I've had blog visitors from locations scattered across Canada and the United States, Spain, Romania, Argentina, Japan and Indonesia. That's quite the international mix!

In October I had the highest number of visitors to this blog since it began. Thanks to all of you who stop by on a regular basis to see what I'm thinking about. Leave me a comment sometime and tell me who you are!

City transit made me twenty minutes late for work this morning. It took me an hour and 40 minutes to get in. And I even got to the train station a few minutes earlier than usual.

Faye has a brilliant post here. I've occupied the spaces she's talking about, and she speaks of her struggles with eloquence and grace and depth that I rarely found in the midst of those spaces. Faye doesn't post often, but when she does, her posts nearly always leave me breathless.

And with that, I'm back to work...

A Ministry of Healing and Reconciliation - Henri Nouwen

A Ministry of Healing and Reconciliation (Henri Nouwen)

How does the Church witness to Christ in the world? First and foremost by giving visibility to Jesus' love for the poor and the weak. In a world so hungry for healing, forgiveness, reconciliation, and most of all unconditional love, the Church must alleviate that hunger through its ministry. Wherever we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely, listen to those who are rejected, and bring unity and peace to those who are divided, we proclaim the living Christ, whether we speak about him or not.

It is important that whatever we do and wherever we go, we remain in the Name of Jesus, who sent us. Outside his Name our ministry will lose its divine energy.