Halfway There

It's the halfway point of the A Hundred Days of Happiness summer writing project.

I'm starting new work today, a situation I've wanted and looked forward to for the four months I've waited for it to be possible. There really is something to creating a vision and working toward it. 

I'm sitting in my office. Everything is chaos. But, slowly, I'll be cultivating a kind of order. Someone used the room for a few months to organize another office and the remnants of that process are still here on some of the shelves, in some of the cupboards, cabinets, and closets. But I've cleaned and moved my belongings onto one of the shelves on the wall of bookshelves. I've arranged the furniture in the way I want to work and communicate my priorities to those with whom I'm working. My desk is in a large light-filled corner, looking out into the room, and there's a huge picture window to my left with a beautiful view of the outdoors. Rain is falling. Willowy hosta stems are bowing to the weight of their blossoming. I can see the sanctuary wing of the building and the street signs of the intersection on which the church property sits 

The room is dominated by four comfortable chairs around a small table, an area for conversation. It's what I see when I look up over the screen of my laptop. It's a reminder of the most effective way I do my work. 

And to my right on the corner of the desk? A small vase of homegrown flowers from the office administrator's garden. They welcomed me this morning. It reminds me that my presence is appreciated, just as yesterday's meeting with the core leadership to sign our agreement reminds me of the excitement around beginning a new chapter in this congregation's life together. We rearranged the furniture. 

That tiny and important bit of collaboration is such an important teacher. 

A Hundred Days of Happiness is a daily writing practice that opens a landscape of discovery into my own human experience.

Katherine Cartwright has been blogging since 2012, and each year brings new wonders. She asks big questions of the small things in life.