And now for something completely different

This comic strip hit home.  My dance partner, Claudia, sent  it to me last week and I laughed immediately and kept returning to it again and again.  It is really brilliant.  How many of us use a busy schedule as an excuse not to do something really important when we know that the alternative is even less desirable? Well, I cannot see how many of you are raising your hands right now, but I can definitely say that I have been there too many times..  The funny thing is that once you get out there and do the thing you have been dreading, you ask yourself, "what was the big deal?" "This is fun!" Or "This is easy!"  

The other thought that crossed my mind when I saw this was whether any of you has ever received a prescription for exercise from your doctor.  My brother Michael, a doctor who believes in making his patients responsible for their health, probably has done just that.  But I have never had a doctor who has asked about my level of activity or recommended exercise as a way to improve my health or a condition. So in that respect, in my life anyway, this clip is more fantasy than reality.  But imagine a doctor who comes at you with that kind of frankness.  Refreshing for sure. 

Got an email this week from a friend who took a chance in the name of love and is now bathing in its glow.  Did not have to look upon her beaming face to see this.  I could feel her through the email she sent.   Can't imagine what took her lover so long to make a move - no doubt a busy schedule -  but I look forward to many love stories in the coming months ( maybe years?).

Letting go and allowing my feelings to guide me has never been my strong point.  But I AM a strong believer in moving on one's first impulse.  As my mother would say, that is more concept than truth.  I received a call over a year ago to come work in Senegal.  I said yes immediately before I had even read the job proposal.  A rare opportunity presented itself.  I was flattered that the job had been tailored to me in particular, and I said yes.  

This week I am being asked to rewrite the entire project from scratch including the job descriptions for every staff member.  I liked the original format and strategy.  It is founded in theory and applicable to the reality here.  My own tendency to go with my first impulse is no doubt the reason I am uncomfortable with the idea of  scrapping what we have been building up to now.  Recent  very complicated events have spooked management and made them question the chosen path.  I agree that we must provide for more contingencies, especially those beyond our control, but I have faith in the process, slow and unremarkable though it may be.  

That is how I will spend my Sunday, working on the draft, until evening comes and I have the pleasure of connecting with Jenny in our weekly call.  Hope you will pardon the stream of consciousness that this blog entry has become.  More tangible news guaranteed this time next week.