At 7:00 AM, the alarm clock went off. I hit snooze so hard my phone almost broke. At 8 I was up, dressed, and hurriedly throwing my leg over the bicycle. Off to work.
This has happened any number of Tuesdays lately, as I haven't had class on that particular day this term. But as I have gazed at the week ahead, with school done, finals written, and freedom returned to my days, I've noticed that I can get back to riding to work every day. Even the knowledge of this freedom is restorative. I'm leaving the car parked in the driveway, and doing my commuting by bicycle this week.
I arrived at the office a sweaty mess thanks to the humidity outside. Due to the snooze button abuse, I hadn't left enough time for a cool down, so I waltzed into our staff bible study looking like I had just emerged from a swimming pool with my clothes on.
After the morning meetings, a coworker was kind enough to drive me to the füd court at the mall to get a bite to eat. When I got back to my desk, took a hard look at the calendar coming up, it occurred to me for the first time that I had really returned to normalcy. It is glorious!
I think for me it's hard to keep the balance between seminary, which prepares me for ministry, and my job where I actually get to do ministry. For the next 100 days, I don't have to worry about school, I don't have to drive to an internship, I don't have to write a paper. I have 100 days to do ministry. Some of that will be taken up with trips and travel, but for the most part I have 100 days of my job as it existed before seminary, and as it will exist in 365 days when I graduate.
I think all of us long for some sense of normalcy when the crazy busy-ness of life gets overwhelming. Maybe you're like me, and it's the lighthouse you keep your eyes on through the worst of the storm, remembering that this too shall pass and life will return to normal. What takes a little more practice is celebrating normalcy. Normalcy includes returning the phone calls that have been on my call list forever. Normalcy usually includes a lot of e-mails. Normalcy comes with chores. Will you celebrate them? I hope I will. Until then, here's to dodging raindrops on the bicycle!