Jetlag has not been too bad this time returning from Taiwan STM. I am pretty much adjusted by the 4th day. The second day I slept till 12:30pm, but last year I remember I slept till 2pm more than one day.
I’m not experiencing as much “dissonance” in reverse culture shock this time. In past years, I complained how it’s too dry with no humidity or rain here and I have to use moisturizer, how expensive the food is compared to $1.50 boba in Taiwan, why we don’t have an efficient train system so I don’t have to drive, etc. This year, I am accepting the way things are here as good. I do like our public bathrooms much better (though no country can beat the bathrooms in Japan).
I only got one bug bite in Taiwan, but got 2 bug bites while cleaning up in the garage, and 4 while getting the laundry from the garage! This has been a bad year for bugs here.
But I am proud to have cleaned out 2 boxes in the garage. Only 100 more to go…
I didn’t fall asleep at staff meeting on Tuesday or extended deacons meeting this morning. I really appreciate our staff. I’ve grown so much in the 8 years I’ve been here. The higher the commitment, the more you grow. This was true when I served as a Group Leader in BSF years ago. The expectations were high, but I grew more than I did when I merely attended as a member. I should remind people of this lesson to encourage others to serve the Lord. He will not fail you.
After the deacons meeting, I checked in with OWL and ended up talking to parents. Then a relaxing rest of the day. Went to Home Goods with hubby to look for a decorative clock, didn’t find one we liked.
One reason I look forward to retiring from the job I love is so I can attend worship service as a “normal” person without distraction of responsibilities. It is an occupational hazard of pastoral staff to not have worship time. I used to attend an evening service 2x a month. But since getting out of the habit with the Perspectives class early in the year, I haven’t gone back. I need to get back to it, but I don’t know where yet.
Finally got smart and had a cleaning company clean the bathrooms. No more college tuition to pay, it’s time I spend money to keep the house cleaner. I promise I will declutter! The best and surest way to have a clean house is to have less clutter. When you imagine your dream house, it’s always without clutter. I read those 2 quotes somewhere that I hope will drive me to declutter.