oh my gosh. where do i begin? life is crazy right now. really good, but crazy. working 1 job 50% and having an internship 50% is about to rip me in two. don’t get me wrong, i absolutely loooove both my job & my internship, and i do not want to give either of them up, but my little brain finds it difficult to focus on both of them at the same time. the thing is, i feel like i’m bouncing back & forth all the time. some days i am even working at both places, which does not make it any easier. i am discovering that i am not so good at juggling, and i long to have only one job to focus on so i can give 100% of my best to that one thing.
on the other hand, nothing is ever boring for sure. and, as i said, i love working with the youth in both places…
which leads me to the possibilities that are lingering out there in front of me. at my work at the church, i found out that i may, i just may, be able to work there through the end of the year. right now i have the job until the end of june, but there is a remote possibility that i will be asked to work all the way through 2012. fingers crossed ‘cuz it rally feels like i’m beginning to get into a groove there! and it feels so unbelievably amazing to be working as a minister/pastor again. and then on the internship front… my internship at the youth organization is over in the end of april. but, i’m not planning on leaving. somehow i’ll find a way to stay connected. right now, the idea is that we (they) write proposal (like a grant) to hire me for a certain amount of time as a project leader. and the project, you wonder? well, it is to work with 4-5 unemployed youth/young adults to create (illustrate & write) a book about youth in sweden – what they do, what they want, how life is. the plan is for me to gather these youth together, do some introductory lessons on social skills, help them plan trips & the book, and then travel to different cities, take pictures, and interview youth who live there. photography, teaching, traveling, writing, and youth. could anything be more perfect?!
so, there are amazing things on the horizon for me which i am really excited about. i have no idea what will come of anything, but that’s ok. for now, i am just trying to live from crazy day to crazy day. and enjoy all the little moments in between…
like waking up to see this beautiful snow outside my kitchen window.
like spending some quiet moments alone in the mornings.
like walking to work in the cold, crisp air. loving the snow crunching beneath my feet.
like writing some theological articles for my work. and struggling to write it all in swedish. hehe.
like walking in the dark back & forth, all over the place. yes. i walk. a. lot.
like enjoying meetings, talking with people, chatting with teenagers – who all seem to need a little extra support these days, and always learning about different cultures (not just the swedish culture either).
like drinking wine & settling into the weekend.
that’s right. it’s thursday night & i’m looking at 2 full days ahead of me without work! WOO HOO!! my weekend starts tonight and i am turning my brain off, shutting down my responsibilities, and planning on enjoying time with my wife. though, i’m not gonna be sitting still. tomorrow we’re headed out of town to visit some friends & attend a meeting (but a good & interesting one!) on saturday. feels like it’s gonna be a fun friday evening, so i’m really looking forward to it. plus, nothing beats a cozy, little out-of-town bus trip. geez i love to travel. any & everywhere! in any case, even in the midst of all the craziness & never-ending list of things to do, i am determined to find & carve out time to feed my soul. to just be. and to enjoy life with my love. and right now, that is what i intend to do for the next 48 hours.
wishing you a great start to your weekend!
peace & love.
Exciting stuff! What a cool project that would be if the plan for the internship works out! I feel you on the being pulled in 2 directions thing… I get that feeling now and then as I try to balance all my classes with my field placement. But my time is split more like 67%-33%, so it’s not quite as drastic.
Anyway, have a blessed weekend off, and a good trip!
Gaaahh!! Carissa, I remember the days of seminary studies & work very well, and I sympathize with you. What a crazy time in life for you! The balancing is super crazy, but I am certain that you handle it beautifully. 🙂 I did, indeed, have a great weekend and I hope you did too! Kramar
back on line after computer problems, and catching up. That project with the youth is right up your alley, and if you can write it in Swedish you will have made a serious language accomplishment. It will be made easier because your source material will be in Swedish, so you won’t have to translate everything, just turn on the Swedish side of your brain.
I am glad you enjoy your work so much, even though full time can be overwhelming. Many of the paraprofessionals at the school where I work have second or third jobs. Makes me sad to think they don’t earn a living wage at their jobs. Their jobs tend to be more routine, but still to think of them heading to a second shift when I am going home…. 🙁
We have been going at it now since the beginning of the new year and will soak up tomorrow’s day off for all we can get out of it (President’s Day). Students and staff NEED it!
Hey Barb! Glad you got your computer back in working condition. 🙂 Luckily I will have tons of help from Lina with writing the proposal for the project, and then the youth will be responsible for writing the parts of the book, with me editing & guiding of course. So, it will be great practice with Swedish! I’m also getting so much practice at the church as well. I feel a little overwhelmed at times, but I am so lucky that my 2 jobs actually only equal one, so I’m not working “overtime” at another job. That is a tough life. Hope you had a wonderfully relaxing day off yesterday!
So glad you enjoy your internship and job, regardless of the hassle managing both can be. The photos are gorgeous—that blue scarf looks lovely on you! Stay well and keep sharing. 🙂
Hey August! Thank you for the super kind words! Makes me smile. And the scarf, I hadn’t worn it in forever, so it’s fun that you made a comment on it. 🙂 Think I’ll use it more often again! Hope you have a great week.