Wednesday Freewrite Fifteen

My sweetheart if home every day now. His company was "slow to the draw" as far as staying at home. I was a little concerned being that he was going home to be with his dear 90-year-old mom every night not knowing who he may have been exposed to at work that day. Then, over the weekend, they said everyone could stay home on Monday, but they would split up the teams into "red" and "blue" groups. They would come in 2 days and then 3 off and visa versa on the opposite weeks. Well, there was a text from George's boss late last night (while George had come home after his first of the two-day cycle and not going to his mom's at night) to say that EVERYONE stays at home and works from home. Hallelujah! Finally, his company has gotten with the program. 

So, here I sit. I have spent the last hour prepping the house for the housecleaners who are still coming. Yes, I still have a couple come once a month. George's gift to me many, many years ago when I was so steeped in homeschooling that it was hard for me to balance everything. Once I finished homeschooling, I was too attached to them to let them go. They are family. So, even though I am fully capable of cleaning. I love them. Enough said. We can take the financial impact that cleaning one time a month does. 

I am about 4 hours away from finishing the 28.75-hour tome of The Guermantes Way. I have to be honest that reading about snooty French aristocrats, and the main characters OBSESSION with them is a little strange now that France is in the peak of the Coronavirus outbreak today. WHO CARE? This guy had a problem. Too obsessed with stuff that really does not matter, but I didn't grow up in a society that had such strick social levels. We never really knew in my town who had the money and status and who did not. 

I am reading Enneagram Transformations. I had read one of the types for a spiritual direction directee but then put it down. Now I am reading the whole short book. It is lovely and a good summary of the whole system. What I love about Riso is his hopefulness and practical ways we can get out of the rut of our personality type. 

I am also reading The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith. This is a reread for my spiritual direction training with School of Sustainable Faith (shameless plug - they are starting one in Portland next fall - so good - great trainers). We are concentrating on Stages 3-6 (the cleaners are chatting away - they are not convinced that the social distance thing is valid - but I have read the research, and it IS, so stays away) where most directees come for help. What is so cool is that I read a Ph.D. thesis that compares this book with J. Robert Clinton's Leadership Emergence Theory and The Interior Castle. Talk about my world's colliding! All that to say is that his research (I need to see how many people he interviewed) shows that this is the stage where people need the most help from a person like a spiritual director. So today I will continue reading this great book and compare it with Clinton and this book. (This is my strong SF that loves to look at facts and data yet treat them with personal warmth while an ST will look at facts and data and use it for things rather than relationships.) 

I will also be watching a teaching seminar on the power of Zoom for students. I am still trying to figure out how to record my spring term teaching. I recorded a trial run, but then it said it was being saved to the "cloud" and would be sent to me in my email, but I have received nothing. I don't know where it went. 

After this, I will lead a Renovare Book Club Discussion on The Interior Castle. We will have four people which makes for great social distancing in my living room. The other two will call in. I am hoping that the other three can handle them while I lead the discussion. I don't want to have to worry about them while I am leading the discussion. I loved this book, and I am surprised that I thought it was such an easy read. I have always wanted to read it. I am not sure that I need to read Mansions of the Heart by a modern-day interpreter of the Castle. I got it. He was interesting to have interviewed though. 

Still debating whether I will continue to lead this. Next year should be lighter without SD and Enneagram cohorts. Speaking of my Enneagram cohort - it has been postponed. So we will not be doing the 7-2-5-8 panels until a later time. Dale is wanting to have just our cohort do panels on our own. 

Well, that was a quick fifteen minutes. Once more thing, I have a webinar with the expert on The Interior Castle at 4 pm. Then I am going to relax and watch Survivor at 8 pm. :) 

Oh, one more thing, Timberhill and G3 were both closed yesterday. SO I don't have to stress over deciding if I will sub during Spring Term this year!