March?

It’s Bank Holiday Monday. Boing! by the excellent Airhead is bursting out of the study B and Ws and I have the feel good factor. Been to the gym and had a pint today, which cancel each other out gloriously as long as you don’t count the cooked breakfast and the further alcohol on the agenda for later. The pint was Hook Norton which is one of the world’s great things.

This is really the thoughts and ramblings of a seeker after March. Where that go then? I have always insisted that when you are busy you should not compromise on the things you enjoy – that way lies madness and stress. However I just plain enjoy too much of this damn lovely thing called life and the blog suffered. Sorry readers. Will pull myself together now.

Telling a friend in the gym that I’d had a hard time coping with Lent, Holy Week and Easter at church as a part-time stand-in vicar he commented that ‘Well you’re here and no-one died.’ Hmmm. Another evangelism opportunity beginning with sarcasm came my way. ‘If no-one died then I’m kinda wasting my time.’

Still, the best way to survive when stressed is to lower your standards, take the credit, delegate the blame, apologise for the errors even when you just did brilliantly, totally cop out of having anything to do with Easter church decorating or PA malfunctions and, of course, if anybody criticises, ask how they could help you avoid such things in the future. Implicate them in the future success or failure of the thing they have criticised. Sorts the grown-ups from the children. Also send thank-you, birthday and any other sort of card at every available opportunity. Trust me. It causes an unbelievable amount of good-will.

Not getting involved in church decorations meant we nearly had bunnies on Good Friday next to a mirror covered in blood (look who Jesus died for) and the Easter banner, the one saying ‘he is risen’ for those who weren’t sure what it was all about, had to be relocated to make way for a young person’s all together more thought provoking image of a young girl at the foot of a cross.

I once worked in a church where the Easter banners said ‘He is not here’ and ‘He is risen’. Except when you walked through the door all you could see was, ‘He is not here.’

Now I realise I need to give some attention to Jamie Oliver’s God-like qualities, the danger of electing a conservative government, West Brom’s ability to avoid relegation and other matters on hold since last month.

But first, a day off. I deserve it. As Airhead just said, ‘These days someone as nice as me is hard to find.’