Week's end worblings

Treadmill tremors.

I was chatting with a friend early in the week reflecting on my year to date. I came up with a description of how it has felt. I recall watching a guy on a treadmill at the gym. He was running quite fast and a friend of his came past chatting with him. "Sorry can't slow down." the red faced runner said, "I'll get spat out the back!" (This happens if you pause or stop on a treadmill) The friend chatted for a while then just as he left he reached over and tapped his finger several times on the (+) plus button, making the machine speed up, then rushed out the door saying a cheeky "Goodbye". His mate of course had to speed up his running. That's a bit like what this year has felt like for me. Running like hell just to keep up and somebody keeps sneaking their finger on the speed up button. As I think about it there have been a series of hiccups (van written off, car breakdowns, sore back, friend's suicide, sad funerals) an additional tough chaplaincy and a number of successes (Son's wedding, Space2B popularity, Sustainable Dunedin youth worker based at the church, Extra community use of the church etc.) which have all contributed to this feel. There never seems to be enough hours in each week. Perhaps too I am getting older and cannot hack the pace like I once used to. There are heaps of sleepless nights along the way.

What to do with them?

ASCO (An advisory and support day-time drop-in centre for unemployed people) has lost its funding and is to close. We have had people dropping in to Space2B saying "Is this where ASCO is to be relocated?" I had a social worker from ASCO visit our drop-in to scope out what we had to offer and was invited to a meeting about possible alternatives at the local Member of Parliament's office. Some seem to be thinking we could help fill the loss, and of course having a bit of a messiah complex I could see some possibilities. I still look at our drop-in folks and ache for their predicament. Young people, even children who seem to have a snow-balls chance in hell of making a go out of life. Mental health patients struggling to cope. Older people wasting life on alcohol and idleness. There are no jobs for such as these.

I oscillate with my feelings towards the folks from ASCO and from our Drop-in. Sometimes I feel like our education system and economic system has spat these poor people out the back of our society and dumped them on the rubbish heap of life. I get angry at an uncaring society. - At other times I am angry at the people. Why can't they make better choices? They could stop smoking - gambling - drinking? They could gainfully use their time? There are bush tracks I would love to have the time to walk. There are vegetable gardens they could tend. They could suss out their own firewood. etc etc. If only they got off their bums and tried!? What is the answer? Support alongside encouragement and challenge some how? Do we challenge the systems and seek a better deal? I think there are no easy answers. Because there are no easy answers most people do not get involved. ... but that is wrong also.

Privileged

This week I spent a lot of time talking with people. I loved learning from a pleasant Hungarian lady about life under a communist regime. She spent her childhood and early teens in a communistHungary and experienced the transition to a democracy as she grew to adulthood. It was intensely interesting stuff. I walked in on the printing press just as they were setting up to print a paper. This man explained the process as he put the plates on the rollers. Then I watched as the presses cranked up and gradually the paper came out the other end. I talked to a lady trying to edit and trim an article by several hundred words and her view of the process. A coast guard volunteer explained to me how they went about searching for someone at sea. A dad told of his experiences bringing up his daughter and his hopes for her. ...and I could go on... but as busy as it is on the treadmill, I am often touched by the incredible privilege I have to be let into people's lives, experiences and wisdom.

Physical fitness

I have been troubled by a bad back. This week I have got back into training for the September half marathon. I walked 3 hours on Sunday in the hills. I ran 9 kilometres on Tuesday and on Thursday. On Saturday a 5k run around a reservoir was enjoyed. Today I ran 12 kilometres chatting with my friend. It is nice to be back into it. At my age it is great to still be able to get a high from exercise.