Transit Evangelism

Wordpress has a blog with a daily post prompt that I follow, and every so often I flag one of these prompts for future reference or writing fun.

Yesterday, they posted this prompt, and I immediately began to chuckle, knowing just what story it was that I'd tell.  I have quite possibly told it here previously, but can't resist the chance to tell it again!


Topic #78:
What is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you on a bus?

It was a Monday morning, around 7 am, and I had just boarded a train packed wall to wall with other rush hour commuters.  I had my headphones on, and a hood up around my face, and was preparing to get lost in the daze of the first day after the weekend commute, tired, and definitely not thinking entirely clearly.  There were people touching me on all sides, all also lost in that Monday morning commute daze.  We shared that mutual, "I want to be alone even though I'm being crushed by people" glaze in our eyes.

She was standing just behind and to the side of my right arm, which was reaching up to hold onto a strap overhead - the only way to keep my balance in a very full and moving train.  She was shorter than me (no small feat since I am barely five foot two inches tall), the top of her head near the armpit of my extended arm.  I'd noticed her when she got on the train, simply because she held a large bible in her arms, with ruffled pages, the mark of one that is well-used.

And then it began.

There was a rustling as she whipped something out of the bag she carried.

"You want this?" (her tone was brusque, confronting, interrupting the glazed peace we'd been enjoying.)

I looked to see who she was talking to.

It was me.

Great.

The train was so full that I couldn't even turn to fully face her, but I was her chosen target for the day.

"No thank you."

I returned to my glazed silence.

"Are you a Christian?"

She wasn't catching all of the silent "leave me alone" cues.  She was still waving the object she'd pulled out of her bag, an object that upon closer examination was a sermon CD from a large local church, in one of those white square envelopes.

"Yes, I am."  (Perhaps now this conversation is done?)

"What kind of Christian are you?  Are you evangelical?"  (Her tone remains brusque, insistent, almost attacking.)

"Yes, I'm evangelical."

"You want this?"  She offered me the sermon CD again, and again I politely declined.

"What church you go to?"  English was not her first language, and her tone and words demonstrated this.

Well, now I know I'm in trouble.  I was, at the time, attending a church with one of those non-traditional, post-modern, single word names.  The kind of names that sort of make older members of the faith community suspicious of the church, wondering if it isn't really a cult.

Honesty won out, and I told her the name.  "Epic."

There was a momentary pause as she assimilated this information.

"What kind of name for a church is that?  Should be 'Church of Christ' or 'Church of God in Christ!'"

We lapsed into another momentary awkward silence.  I looked around briefly, catching the eyes of all the other commuters, watching this Monday morning drama play out.  Their eyes said, "I'm so sorry it's you, but I'm sure glad it's not me."  I thought that perhaps this last answer had slaked her curiousity, but I'd underestimated her determination.

She burst out, "You have friends who are Pentecostal?"

"Yes."  (I was smiling, laughing inside, as I pictured a few of the ones with more Pentecostal leanings, including some who'd told me that they thought this sort of "street evangelism" could be effective.)

"You take this," she brandished the omnipresent sermon CD, "and give to them!"

I acquiesced, accepting the CD.  My stop was approaching, and it seemed the easiest way to end this horrifically awkward encounter.

The only thought in my shocked early morning brain was, "That is how NOT to do evangelism."

But that, that is not where this story ends.  There is a laugh yet to share.

After recounting my tale to my dad, he commented that as a pastor, if someone was using his sermon cds in such a fashion he'd want to know about it, so I contacted the church in question, sending an email, describing what had happened, and telling them that I thought that perhaps they'd want to look into this, since it didn't seem to present the best image of either the Christian faith, or of their church.

It was a few weeks before I heard back from the lady at the church that I had been in touch with.

She wrote to tell me of the roundabout way in which they'd discovered who was so brusquely evangelizing while using their materials.

A woman had approached her after services one Sunday, asking for prayer.  The church staffer agreed, asking what it was that she could pray about.  The anonymous woman confided that she'd received a ticket that week, and that she didn't want to tell her husband.

The ticket?  It was for being a public nuisance on the trains!

Bus Etiquette

Ian posted a fabulous list of bus etiquette tips yesterday.  Go read it, leave him a comment, and then come back here and tell me your favorite public transportation story in my comments.

I've had many, many adventures on public transit.  I actually have a tendency to attract truly bizarre and awkward situations like a magnet.  I was once even the victim of a "random act of evangelization"on an early Monday morning train commute.  But that's a story for another time.

My latest story, you ask?  Well, one day last week I had the immense pleasure of riding the bus with a young gentleman who was proudly (and loudly) proclaiming to the world that he'd been twice expelled from his designated high school - once because he was high on mushrooms and bit the assistant principal.  (I'd have doubted that last bit of his story as posturing and bravado to impress the cute girl he was talking with, but his friend volunteered it, not him.)  He then went on to expound at length on the topic of his new vocational high school - the only one in the city that would admit him given his umm, history.  He spoke at length about his theory that the trick is to make friends with a couple of the teachers - preferably at least one who is also an administrator.  He should have, after all, he informed the bus at large, been expelled at least four more times from the vocational high school, but he was "untouchable" because he was friends with Mr. So and So, who was in charge.

Despite my collection of stories, most days I really don't mind that transit is my method of travel.  I even spend my time "bus reading" - finding it a meaningful way for me to create space for reading and thinking and prayer.  But, if you'd caught me on that day last week, which continued with a truly lovely set of teenaged boys hitting each other in a show of machismo, to see who could make the other flinch, while cursing loudly every other word, I probably would have quite comfortably discussed with you how little in that moment I cared about global warming and the troubles of multi-car families for traffic and the environment, and happily day dreamed of the days when I drove my own car in relative peace.

Daily 5 - Day 259

So, as days and weeks go, this one has kind of stunk.  And with that in mind, as I headed out to start my day this morning, I made special note of anything and everything that made me smile, jotting a bunch of the items on a notepad in my purse.  It was a worthwhile exercise I think, and certainly makes writing the daily 5 list tonight far easier.  So, today's daily 5:

1. two beautiful little Eastern European girls on the bus with their mom (aunt?) this morning.  They had infectious and mischievous smiles that brought a smile to my own face.
2. the doctor's appointment I had today went so much better than I was imagining it might.
3. I spent 15 minutes or so chatting with a random stranger at the bus stop, while we both stood in the stormy weather and waited for the bus to arrive.  What made me smile about this was not so much the conversation itself, but the fact that I was open to it, that I wasn't so lost within my self, so internal, that I wasn't aware of the other person, or choosing to ignore her.
4. The tech who drew my blood for the bloodwork my doctor ordered was really good.  I'm not excessively queasy, but I don't love needles, and she was very efficient and didn't hurt me too much.
5. The pharmacy had the meds I needed refilled in stock.  I've learned the hard way that I can't always expect this to be the case.
6. Because of the snow storm, my office got closed for the day.  So, what was going to be a half-day off to go to my medical appointments turned into a full day, and likely won't cost me the half-day of personal time I'd planned on.
7. Because I was in medical offices and a lab, I couldn't have my phone on.  Instead I sat and read "Jesus Freak" and loved what I was reading
8. Candles lit all around my bedroom this afternoon
9. Scented oil burning in the oil burner
10. a really helpful guy at the gas station tonight when I had some trouble with one of my tires
11. Feeling quite sheltered and cushioned by God amidst all the crazy life has thrown my way this week.
12. Finished reading "Jesus Freak".  So good, down to the last words.
13. organic dried apples
14. Just chatting on the phone with T. for a bit tonight.  There's something about talking with family on a really rough day that always helps for me.  (Of course it also almost always means that I cry, but I'm learning that that's not so unhealthy, or something I need to be embarrassed about either.)
15. Tomorrow is Friday.  I'm almost at the end of this goofy week.

Daily 5 - Day 253

Today's Daily 5:

1. a little boy giggling loudly and contagiously on the train this morning.  I could hear his laughter through my headphones and turned to look and smile.
2. apple cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast
3. pomegranate green tea
4. wearing fun earrings today
5. Subway for lunch with a coworker
6. laughing and working on a project at work with our receptionist
7. booking off an extra day in June
8. getting a seat on the train on the way home (rare), giving it to a lady who had her entire leg in a brace, and then actually finding another seat.
9. quiet evening at home
10. early to bed

Monday morning basics

I have a car now, did I mention that on the weekend?

But I still took the train to work today.  I find driving stressful at the best of times, and even more so since my car accident in late January.  So, I cut off the time I spend on the bus by driving my car to my parent's house, parking it there, and walking to catch the train.  They live about a 3 minute walk from a train station.  My plan is to still take the train 3-4 days a week, using this new method.  I've found I greatly appreciate that quiet time in the mornings and after work, time where I can simply worship, or listen to a sermon or audiobook.  Without the stress of focusing on the road while I listen, or worship or pray.

It was nice to sleep a bit later, and to dress for the day in a slightly less hurried fashion.  The advantage of not having to be at the bus stop by exactly 6:54 am.

If I take the train 3-4 days a week, I can justify the purchase of a bus pass.  I'm fairly certain that I'll save the cost of the bus pass in gas, and the bus pass is a tax deduction at the end of the year.  Not a huge one, but a deduction none-the-less.  And, not only is less driving less stress, but it fits well with my desire to live more simply, and more environmentally friendly.  Especially since my car is quite old, and probably not the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet.

It's Monday and the air conditioner in our office building is broken.  There is a call in to the provider, and hopefully we'll get some movement on this today.  We've hit the first hot weather of the season, and we're on the top floor, and it is HOT in here.  (And if I'm saying it's hot, it really must be, since I'm generally always cold!)  I'm particularly invested in someone coming to fix the air conditioner because I'm the one on our staff that people will complain to and grump at because they're too warm.

I'm thinking, given the heat, that I'll skip my planned bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and eat the mini cinnamon buns that I brought with me instead.  A tasty was to start the day.  I'll probably skip my mug of tea as well, though that I'll miss just a little bit more.

I'm just thankful that I went with the impulse to wear a skirt and short-sleeved top this morning.

So, it's Monday morning, and those are the basics right now.

Heat.  Water.  Finding ways to utilize my car, but still be less stressed.  Breakfast.  And maybe tea.

Daily 5 - Day 230

Today's Daily 5:

1. 230 days of making these lists
2. Started the newest book by Sara Miles on the bus ride home tonight
3. Took the bus home again - so nice to have that quiet space.  Tonight I read, and dozed, and listened to an audio book for a while.
4. Updated my budget - love that this is still working so well for me.  And love seeing the results as my debt slowly decreases and my savings slowly grow.
5. Got a phone call from my bank checking on if I had any questions about my accounts - that was great, because I did have a question about my line of credit but definitely haven't been able to find time to call them
6. Productive day at work
7. Got through several "to do's" at home tonight as well
8. Made some tentative Easter weekend plans with my family
9. Have been denying myself chocolate all evening, and promising myself a piece as a treat before bed - totally anticipating that.
10. Think I'll actually be in bed kind of early tonight.  Hopefully that'll give me a better chance at actually getting a bit of rest.

Daily 5 - Day 229

Today's Daily 5:

1. Full moon tonight.
2. Holy Week
3. Took the long way home on the bus tonight, got some much needed quiet and space for reflection.  Thinking I might try it again tomorrow.
4. The quiet space left me free to actually accomplish things when I got home - I love the feeling of checking things off of a list
5. Figuring out how to slice piping hot pizza when the knife options are limited to a dull paring knife with a 2 inch blade or a serrated bread knife that I'm pretty sure is as old as the house (like maybe 40 years).  And being able to laugh at how ridiculous it seems is that a month ago I lived with a roommate in a well-equipped kitchen because we both loved to cook, and now I live in my grandma's house where pizza gets baked on odd pans because there's no pizza pan in sight, and it gets sliced with a dull 2 inch paring knife, because that's more functional than a decades old bread knife!
6. Finished (and wrote the review for) the book it's felt like I've been slogging through for a while now.
7. Anticipating starting to read a book I purchased a few months back.  Looking forward to starting this title, Jesus Freak by Sara Miles, particularly during Holy Week.
8. Trading a few emails with a dear friend
9. Wrote a snail mail card for another friend, ready for mailing tomorrow.  I love sending (and receiving for that matter) real mail.
10. Thinking about the story of Hagar, and the God who sees.  Something profound in that as I walk through some very uncertain moments right now.

Train Thoughts

I kind of feel like whining this morning.  Complaining about the fact that my neck and shoulders and back ache, that I woke up with a headache, AGAIN, and that sleep has been, umm, disturbed for the last several nights.  (The night before last I dreamt there were daddy-long-legs spiders crawling all over me.  Really pleasant as dreams go.  Really.)

Instead of whining, (or at least whining extensively!) let me tell you about something that happened on the train this morning. 

When you take the bus and train at exactly the same time every day, you begin to recognize people.  There is the scowling lady on the bus, and the lady who limps whose face seems shaped into a permanent sneer, accentuated by bright red lipstick, the young guy in the baseball cap who looks like he's mean, but always gives up his seat for the sneering, limping lady.

There is a guy I've noticed on the train several mornings too, often sitting in the empty bench seat across from him.  He seems to be of middle eastern descent, and mostly he stood out for his odd behaviours, seeming to be mentally ill, sometimes rocking forward and back with his eyes closed, covering his face with his hands, his lips forming words without sounds.

I sat across from him this morning, too.

Only today it was different.  Today for some reason, it became clear. 

What looked like mental illness was prayer.  He is very likely Muslim, and the change came over him as we turned the corner out of downtown.  As soon as the train began to travel East, the rocking and moving lips began.  A ritual that I've seen repeated several days now.  We take the train just as the sun is beginning to rise, and it made sense in some tiny moment this morning that he would say his morning prayers, facing east, as he travelled to whatever his destination is.

It made a difference, somehow, to see prayers instead of mental illness.  Mental illness is not really frightening to me, but leaves me watchful.  I've had some eventful encounters on the train with mentally ill people, and I watch carefully if that seems to be what I'm encountering, carefully judging if my safety is at risk.

This morning it was different.  I sat quietly as I always do, but today I wanted to honor his prayers and devotion.  And as he prayed, I prayed for him, quietly, too.  That the man Jesus, who people of his faith know as a prophet would come to him, and reveal himself as Saviour.

It was an odd deep space, to sit there and pray for this person with whom I've never exchanged conversation, and likely never will, given that his prayer time comes in the brief moments we travel together some mornings.

An experience that I'll ponder and hold within myself as the day goes on.  Praying blessings over this man who expresses devotion publicly, praying silently but physically on the train each morning.

Monday Thoughts

It's Monday morning, and I am sitting in my office, wearing two of the three extra "outer" layers that I wear for the train and bus commute to and from the office.  It's freezing in here.

It's always cold in the morning, because the thermostat for my office is in the office next door, and he turns the heat off overnight.  Monday mornings are the worst, because the heat has been off for a few days in a row.

I'd turn it on, but there is a meeting in that office, and I can't interrupt at the moment.  And anyway, one of the people in the meeting next door overheats at the drop of a hat.  He's the bane of my coworker's existence, since she shares a thermostat with him, and when she turns the heat on, instead of coming to her when he gets to warm, goes and complains to our boss.

So I'll wait for an opportune moment to slide next door and turn up the heat.  And in the meantime I'll wear several layers.  Would it look unprofessional for me to put my toque back on?  Because really, it's my head that's the coldest part of me, and we lose the most heat through our heads, so maybe if I put my toque on, I'd be warm?

I listened to the end of one sermon and the beginning of another on the bus and train this morning.  The second sermon had a portion that made me giggle aloud.  I was thankful that the giggling portion came while I was making the solitary hike across a mall parking lot, empty at that time of day, and not while I was still on the bus or train.

We're having Chinook weather again.  That means that it will be warm, but in the meantime the winds are high, and not so warm yet.

And somehow in my head, the time change over the weekend had seemed to me to mean that it would be daylight instead of dawn when I left the house to catch the bus this morning.  Boy did I miscalculate that one.  It was dark.  All the streetlights still on, having a hard time negotiating across the blackness of the basement to the stairs and door dark.  I know, I know, it'll be light later into the evening now.  But I live in a basement, where natural light doesn't penetrate, so I was kind of hoping for that earlier morning light, for the light during that long first hour of the day that I'm outside.  Because light can make even the coldest and most exhausted mornings seem somehow just a little bit cheerier.  Instead, the last few streetlights just clicked off outside my office window, nearly a full two hours after I left the house.

So, I'm going to wrap my hands around a mug of hot tea, and remember to be grateful.  For daylight that is coming, and spring that is hinting.  For God working in changes, even the ones I really don't like.  And for indoor heating, even when I can't get to the thermostat to make it useful.

Start Again

By the time I went to bed last night, I was well and truly done.  Complete emotional and physical exhaustion.

My head is reminding me that I missed so many supplements yesterday, and that they make a huge difference in my ability to cope. 

My heart is reminding me that bad days happen, and that I can be gentle with myself and have a bad day (or several) without panicking that depression is returning.

That was a gift of insight that came over the weekend.  That the pulling inward and the self protection in the face of this hard transition are things I need to keep an eye on, but that having some really hard emotional days doesn't mean that depression is returning, and that I don't need to fear that pulling inward, those bad days.

It's sort of easier said than done.  But I'm trying.

At least I got a bit of sleep last night.  That I'm thankful for.

And our out of town staff is in the office this week, and the company is providing lunch for everyone - that's been nice too.

I visited with one of the wives of those staff members for a while this morning.  A sweet old colony Mennonite lady that I get to see once or twice a year.  It's always fun to chat with her.

This morning I managed to (mostly) set aside the things I've been worrying around in my mind the last few days while I was on the bus and focus on the worship music I was listening to.

So there are a few good things, and I'm choosing to focus on those.

Start again.

New mercies every morning.

That's what I'm reminding myself of.  And that's what I'm on the lookout for today.

Daily 5 - Day 195

Today's Daily 5:

1. Chatting online with a very dear friend tonight, on her birthday, the first time in a while that we've managed to connect for more than a very few minutes, or by email.
2. The transit connections were incredibly lucky running errands after work tonight, and it didn't take nearly as long as I thought it might.
3. One of my errands was a trip to the library.  I have three new audio books to start listening to on my work commutes (especially nice since next week after the move the round trip commute is going to be about 3 hours).   I loaded the first one onto my ipod tonight, and I'm excited to start listening to it.  It's about a father who connects with his autistic son through horseback riding, and some sort of crazy traveling adventure in Mongolia also involving horseback riding.  A true story, and so up my alley, involving mental health, family relationships, animals, and travel!
4. I made perogies for supper.  Because of my unexpected extra trip to a the grocery store last night, I was in the grocery store that carries the most genuine perogies I've had, so I bought a bag and cooked them for supper tonight and lunch tomorrow.  It's been ages since I've eaten them, and they were great!
5. Lots of times of deep prayer through what was a bit of an odd day.
6. Listened to an interview with Sara Miles on my ipod on the way home from work tonight.
7. Managed to do errands via transit and still get home before dark - that means the days are getting longer and spring must be on it's way.
8. Was dreaming of travel again this morning.  High on the might actually happen this year list - the BC coast, maybe Ontario again, and California.  (High on the I'm still dreaming and will make it happen sometime in the future list - New Zealand, Peru, Rome, and maybe even China and/or Africa.)
9. Contemplating getting an iphone.  The idea of being able to surf the web while on transit - especially with my commute about to get so long - is a very appealing one to me.
10. Dad stopped by the office this morning and picked up a few boxes I'd saved for packing and moving.  I can definitely use them, but there was no way I was carrying them home on the train.  Since he was in the area, I asked if he could stop by, and he was willing.  Grateful for family who are willing to help out with the smaller details.

Daily 5 - Day 145

145 days ago I wrote this introduction to these daily lists.  I can't quite believe I've lasted this long.  It's a sort of goal to continue to write these daily lists (whether they have 5, or more often now, out of the ongoing need to really challenge myself to find joy and things to be grateful for amidst my day, 10 items.).

Today started in a pretty rough way, with some dreams.  It ended just a little bit sad and reflective, thinking and writing, and praying for some people I care about who are facing a variety of very challenging situations right now.  But the inbetween was mostly good, and that is what I'm choosing to focus on today.

Today's Daily "5":

1. Remembering that the anxiety I woke into out of the dreams was not something I needed to own.  The situation in the dream is one that I can proactively handle, and one that I can choose not to worry about.  It's a step to remember that.  It'll be a bigger step when I can consistently put that into action!
2. A good first day back at work
3. Crazy out of control credit card calls, but a calmness amidst that, and actually feeling really grateful for my job, and wanting to be really pleasant with customers stuck paying large insurance bills right after the holidays.
4. Grateful that we caught an issue with payroll, and then a second issue with payroll, nice and early, and not next week when it needs to be processed.
5. Thankful that the payroll company provided good customer service and will be able to resolve the issue (even if I did have to spend nearly an hour, over the course of two calls, on hold)
6. Thankful that my phone company did finally clear up a billing issue I've had for a few months.  I had to call them because I received a letter in the mail threatening to disconnect my service for non-payment.  Turns out the letter got sent out just before I called them and they managed to resolve the issue.  It could have been a much uglier phone call.
   
7. Thankful for the first natural health treatment I've had in a month.  I was feeling pretty crummy and am definitely feeling a bit better thanks to the treatment.
8. Thankful for the moments when the words actually flow and my heart connects to my fingers
9. Thankful for the turkey and cranberry panini my mom served me, and the hamburger soup my roommate made - both of which were part of my supper tonight
10. Thankful that even though there were delays on the train coming home tonight, I still made it to where I needed to be on time, and had a nice chat with a lady on the train in the meantime.  The conversation made me grateful for my own health (limited though it's been) and mobility - she was in an accident over a year ago, was off work for 11 months, and is still waiting for clearance from her doctor to begin driving again.  And she taught me something about gratefulness too - she's super excited to be moving to a different apartment, simply because it's only a few blocks from where she works downtown, and she won't have to make the train commute, which is challenging for someone with a spinal injury in a packed out c-train.  Random encounter, but somehow, Jesus was in it for me.
    

Getting Away

I'm teaching Sunday school this morning.

Then, once church is over, my roommate, our future roommate, and I are coming home to pick up some stuff, and we're heading out of town.

We've booked a hotel room in Southern Alberta for the night, and we're planning to sit in that room, watch a "light and fluffy" movie, paint our toenails, sip wine, and eat a number of rather delectable purchases from the farmer's market and a local European deli.

We'll spend half of tomorrow touring a beautiful national park, right on the American border, and then we'll drive home, to back at work on Tuesday when the long weekend is over.

I really need to get away and just be girly and laugh for a day or so. This last week was brutal in a whole variety of ways, and I'm tired. My whole body aches, and I need a day where I'm not doing anything connected to all of the stressors in my life right now.

I'll see you tomorrow or Tuesday!

Quiet Friday

I know I said I was going to read tonight. I may still do that. But, to be honest, I was so exhausted when I finally made it home from work that I couldn't bear the idea of immediately engaging my brain. Soooo... I'm watching a bit of television...

I also picked up a car from my parent's house.

In a while, I'll crawl into a nice, hot bath, and read.

I'm also going to prep a Sunday school lesson tonight.

I'm pondering the timing of the arrival of an information package that I requested from a seminary well over a month ago, the day after I found out that the job I was planning on is not going to be mine.

Tomorrow, you ask?

Tomorrow I'm going to pick my baby brother up just before nine, and drive him to a church on the way out of town. He's writing a royal conservatory music theory exam. I'm heading to Canmore to spend the day with a good friend. I can't wait.

I'm so glad this week is over. At about three this afternoon I honestly thought it was never going to end. On the bus on the way home, there was brand new driver again - for the second time this week, and the third time since I've been riding the route. A driver who needed directions on where to turn. Why Calgary transit puts rookie drivers on one of the longest and most complicated routes in the city without training them on the route first, I'll never understand.

But, it's the weekend, and I'm going to enjoy friends and family. I'm going to rest, and pray, and light candles. I'm going to try and not think about my job - and how next week promises to be even more crazy and stressful than this week. I'm going to read, and maybe do some baking. I'm going to talk with Jesus. I'm going to relax, breathe, take sabbath. It's so cool that I can do that.

Jesus coincidences and other thoughts...

I told a friend last night that my next blog post would be titled "I think I'm allergic to Jesus". I decided not to write the post, but I am still laughing at the idea... seems that the seasons in my life where Jesus is drawing me most intensely to himself, where I am being pulled from familiar comfort zones into the completely terrifying, stunningly beautiful unknown are always accompanied by a great deal of physical illness and weakness. As someone who has a number of food allergies and sensitivities, this kind of reaction of my body to the things going on with me mentally and emotionally always reminds me of an allergy - thus, "I think I'm allergic to Jesus"!

This present season has many parallels to be drawn to a season exactly two years ago at this time. The emotions feel very similar to that time, and that time is one that in some ways I'm still recovering from! So many beautiful things happened in a short, intense season, that I am still finding my way! And so, I'm sitting here at my desk this morning, sipping tea, and waiting to see what beautiful things come out of this new and crazy season. I'm excited. I'm exhausted. I'm sick. But Jesus is doing cool things.

And, speaking of weird Jesus coincidences, I had a fun one on my way to work this morning. I was in my own little world, walking to the train from home, listening to Jason Upton on my ipod. I was talking with Jesus about a couple of young women from the group of youth at church that I'm involved with, and thinking that I needed to phone one of them tonight. I stepped on the train, still in another world, and someone poked me to get my attention. Both of the girls I'd just been praying for were standing there, on the way to the temp job they're both working at just presently. We had probably 15 or 20 minutes of commuting time to chat, and it was great to see them, even in the midst of my early morning groggyness!

Today is yet again full of people (both lunch and dinner out with friends), and work is going to be busy for the next week or so, since we have a large conference and annual meeting at the end of next week, and I'm taking a couple days off at the end of next week as well. So, with that, I'm back to work!

Facebook Updates and Rabbit Trail Thoughts

I am a little bit obsessed with updating my facebook status lately - with boiling down my current state of mind into a "Lisa is..." sentence. It could be a number of different things all at once today:

• Lisa is fascinated by the things she's reading about Peru.
• Lisa is following fascinating mental rabbit trails.
• Lisa is impressed that she got a response from the Alderman's office so quickly.
• Lisa is wishing for the money to immediatly pursue some dreams.
• Lisa is dreaming of Incan ruins.
• Lisa is shocked by the concurrent way her thoughts are following those of some friends.
• Lisa is wishing she was sitting in the sun, with an iced tea, sunscreen, and a journal.
• Lisa is wondering if anyone has connections with praying people in Peru.

This post that Kirk put up is catching at the edges of some things for me. Triggering the things hanging out on the edges of my conciousness that I talked about yesterday.

Peru has been cropping up an awful lot again lately. I'm now almost positive that I will be making a trip there sometime in the next year. I'll post about all of that soon... just need to find some time to sit down, do some reading, and begin to process the multi-layered stuff that's coming up in regards to that trip.

The bus ride home yesterday was interesting. So interesting that I wrote a letter of complaint to Calgary transit this morning, that I also forwarded to the mayor and my alderman. Can I just say that I'm impressed with how quickly I got a response from the Alderman's office? I'm very pleased with that.

I grocery shopped at lunch today. Spent some money, even though it's super tight this week, because I just couldn't face the prospect of eating pb&j sandwiches for the rest of the week's lunches.

I have to stop and buy a wedding shower gift (for a shower that I'm attending more as a favor to my best friend who's hosting, than because I'm particularly close to the couple the shower is for) on my way home from work tonight. Another expense I'm not wild about in a week where money is a definite issue.

Tomorrow night I'm doing a pastor's kid sort of guilted into it favor, and taking someone's 16 year old niece from Germany (at least she speaks English fairly well) to see Shakespeare in the Park. I picked it because it's free. And we don't have to make a lot of conversation. I can pick her up, we chat in the car on the way over, we watch the play, we chat in the car on the way back to where I'm dropping her off.

This has been an incredibly slow workday. I have almost nothing to do, and I think I'm losing my mind with boredom. However, I guess I'll go back to pretending to have something to do now!

See you later!

Of Whimsical Depth

I’m taking a new route home for my commute tonight. I think it will take 20-30 minutes longer than my normal route. Those of you who know me well are howling just at the moment. “She complains about the normal length of her commute, and now she’s making it longer?” Yes. I’m making it longer. Not permanently, just occasionally. I’m going to take a bus instead of the walk and two trains I’ve been previously taking.

Why, you ask? Well, because I find myself in desperate need of space to simply sit and read, simply sit and think, to simply be, without dozens of things staring me in the face and muttering under their breath about how I should really be doing that laundry, or washing those dishes, or reading something constructive. And I’ve always found the bus a brilliant place to create space. You pop your headphones in (whether you turn them on is up to you!) and avoid making too much eye contact with those nearby, and people pretty much leave you alone. You can people watch, eavesdrop, read, stare out a window and think, write in a journal, or simply be.

I feel like many things in my life have been swirling around me at breakneck speeds, and it’s affecting my mental clarity. So tonight, I’m going to take an hour and a half or thereabouts on the bus and simply sit. I’m going to slow down all those other things clamoring to be done because I can’t do them from the seat of the bus anyway, and I’m going to read a novel, and I’m going to breathe, and I’m going to reflect on the things that have been swirling at the edges of my consciousness that I wrote about this morning. I’m going to watch people, and let my mind wander in a restful sort of way. (See, when I put it like that, you all want to spend an hour and a half on the bus too, don’t you?)

When I get home, I’m going to make myself dinner – either soup, or nachos – depends on what my stomach thinks – I’ll ask it when we’re getting close to home. The conversation will go something like this. I’ll say “What would you like for dinner tonight?” And my stomach, which has been debating the two options all day today will say either, “I’d really like some more of that soup you made last night, with the green beans and carrots in it, and maybe you could add some peas tonight.” Or it will say, “You know, I think a plate of nachos sounds great – with maybe some green onion and red and yellow peppers if there are still some in the fridge.” And then my very talkative stomach will probably suggest (I’m guessing here, but it’s a guess based in experience) that I might like to round the meal out with either an oatmeal raisin cookie, baked by my grandma, and stored in my freezer, or with something containing copious amounts of chocolate (of which I have a few different options stashed away.)

After dinner, I have plans that include lighting some candles, folding laundry while watching some tv on dvd, possibly hanging some art in my bedroom (finally!), calling a good friend in another city for a catching up and praying together sort of chat, and paging through either some scrapbooking magazines or a cookbook that I got at the library, to find ideas for future evenings.

Have I mentioned that I find great beauty, joy and peace in the most mundane and whimsical things of life? In the errands, the quiet evenings at home, the little moments of accomplishment, the conversations with my stomach, the extended commute designed to create space to breathe?

The News

Part of my daily routine on work days involves a trip through the news headlines, local, national, American, international. I tease Kari for her fascination with newspapers, but admit that I regularly check headlines at home, and spend at least half an hour or so most mornings working my way through various articles.

So, in honor of that, here are links to a couple of articles that caught my eye today:

Because I'm invested in the outcome of the dispute between the city and the transit union, I found this one interesting. Apparently the earliest that I'll need to seek alternate transportation is May 7th.

Because I think young people need to care about national and international issues, because I've had a fascination with Justin Trudeau since he delivered a moving eulogy for his father, and because, if I lived in his riding, I'd probably vote for him, this one caught my eye.

I follow up my trip through the news with a trip through the blogs on my sidebar, plus a few others, and I have a blog post to recommend to you as well.

I liked the thought that Cameron Conant posted here. Remember that he wants to.

See you around!

Impending Strike

Calgary Transit is once again considering the merits of going on strike. I have to say, I don't have an opinion one way or the other on the union's complaints, I'm just annoyed that I am now in the process of making contingency plans - figuring out how the heck I'm going to get to and from work every day should the strike actually happen.

Last I heard they're trying to schedule a strike vote for Tuesday, after which they have to give 72 hours notice before beginning to strike. Apparently they may try other job action first, but who knows? I heard one of the things they might try is wearing street clothes instead of their uniforms - because it makes a huge difference in how they drive the bus or train if they're wearing jeans instead of ugly grey pants.

All of this has got me thinking about my forthcoming purchase of a car. I wasn't actually planning to start seriously looking until July, but now, who knows? I was scanning my way through used car ads online at lunch, and found some possibilities, though I don't yet have all the money in my budgeted range. I may try and convince my parents that it would be more convenient for them to loan me the rest of the money I would need to buy a car than it would be to drive me to and from work, or give up one of their cars every day so I can drive myself.

So, if anyone knows of a good deal on a reliable car without excessive mileage, an automatic (this is very important, as anyone who followed the blog and my adventures in trying to learn to drive a standard will know), that will get me around the city, and let me make some weekend trips to see friends and to the mountains, let me know. Particularly if the car is green - it would make my friend Rae very prophetic if I end up with a green car (a bit of a joke, a bit serious, from a conversation and prayer time we had about eight months ago).