Despite how it seems - in some ways it is about you

 

Hello all. Hope you are good. We are fine. Counting down to Christmas? Sorry. It's ages off yet I know. I think I am just trying to think of stuff to hold back the unrelenting misery. People are off and running though. We went to the artisan market (see above) down the road. (Artisan is a bit of a stretch really. Quite a lot of candles and brownies and a man who sells pictures with glitter in them. Not judging. They sell like hotcakes). Lots of Christmas present possibilities on sale so there you are. 

I was going to spend this blog doing some reviews for stuff we have seen but I have other stuff I would like to blather about so just a couple of things. We went to see Beautiful - the Carol King musical. As I believe I have said, I don't really like musicals on stage. I bow to no one in my love for the MGM musical and obviously anything with Frank Sinatra in it. (Young at Heart. He makes Doris Day's life a misery for most of the movie, then sings her some wonderful songs and we all feel better.) However, stage musicals seem a bit - well staged. This was the same really. There was a lot of..."Where are the neon lights bright Orville?" Cue looking at the audience before segueing into On Broadway. However, the music. Is Carol King a genius? Yes, she is and the cast  - all of whom were excellent musicians as well - were fantastic. I was a little confused a few times because it had what I think is called "inclusive casting" which meant, for instance, that Cynthia Weil - a small Jewish songwriting genius was played by a leggy, blond trumpet-playing lady. The record executive Don Kirshner was a wheelchair user so I was hissing - Did he have an accident? Most confusing was that two of the Drifters appeared to be conducting a very flamboyant affair with each other which was weird as I remembered them as sort of hod carriers in silk jackets. Despite my being so slow off the mark - it was shameless, manipulative excellence and I loved it.

We are watching the Stanley Tucci in Italy programme which is lovely. I'm not so keen on watching Inside Man which is the other thing he's in. Seems to me it's just another woman locked in a cellar. I'm thinking she will come over all feisty and make them pay in the end but, if you didn't lock her in the cellar, then she wouldn't need to would she?

Moving on, Our pastor? vicar? minister? What do the Methodists call it? Anyway, he is going on sabbatical for three months. He's spending some time on Lindesfarne then coming back for the rest of the time and working on his PhD. He won't be involved in the life of the church for three months but was very firm this morning saying that we don't have to run into the nearest doorway or press our faces to the wall a la Tom Cruise if we see him approaching. Just don't rush up to him expecting him to know where the extra milk is kept. I'll miss him I think. He's a flipping good preacher which I always appreciate and he's been very wise with HOH and me as we fumble our way back into some sort of ongoing church membership. 

Him........"Would you like to learn how to be in charge of safeguarding for the Foodbank?"

Us.......... "No thank you."

Him........."Not a problem."

Can't say fairer than that can you?

He was talking about perhaps us looking at the next three months as our own personal sabbatical. Not that my employers would be thrilled about me taking three paid months off work but he was talking about Christmas bookmarking the end of this period. Maybe we could think about spending three months sorting out diet or fitness. Or maybe spending time working on mental health. If there is something we have always wanted to do, as winter creeps in and other distractions fade away, is this the time to prioritise this? Are there books we would like to read or study we would like to start? Let's face it - there's not much on the telly. It made me think a bit. It would be nice to get to Christmas having done something worth doing.

Anyway, I was serving coffee before the meeting at church today. I'm not very good at it yet. I don't know where anything is and I spend a lot of time saying - "Would you mind doing your own sugar?". Anyway, this morning the other server didn't turn up. He forgot. I'm not having a go. (I'm 100% sure he won't read this). He is perfectly charming but has a bit of form in this area. Everything was fine. In fact, it probably did me good having to sort things on my own. It made me think of an incident when I was a youth leader. Someone made us go around the room and ask what we thought we brought to youthwork. There was always someone who felt they brought magnificent vision and very spiritual things. Then my friend piped up and said.  "I am very dependable. I may not be the most glamorous person on the team but when I say I will be somewhere, then I will be there unless something terrible happens. You know you can count on me." And we could. I think if you are this kind of person - unsung, dependable - someone who prioritises the not very out there things you are asked to do, then I think that you should know that you are spotted or "seen" as the young people say. It all counts. Not only does it count but it is as important as anything a jiggy person at the front does. Trust me - I've done both. It's all good. It's all equal. The stuff you do - out of your shyness, your fear or the fact that you would rather eat your shoes than take a youth group - is everything.

Have a good week.