Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Stay in the moment

It is crucial for Church Ladies to remain in the moment. To be present at all times, and this task isn't always easy. I mean, there are many days when I sit down to complete a task and two digits into it the phone rings and that call takes me to another task, and then the mailman comes and the UPS guy is racing Fed Ex that day, so both boys come knocking and then the Pastor flies a paper airplane of his weekly thoughts for the newsletter across the hall to my office and the day is over and I go home and my children say, "what did you do today, you look so tired" and I can't for the life of me think of one single thing I did. That's just how it goes sometimes.

Parenting runs a very similar track. But that's another blog.

Juggling, multi-tasking, controlled chaos, call it what you will -the fact remains that someone needs to keep track of all that crud crawling around, and well, ladies, that someone is YOU.

I keep a chart on my desk where I write down everything as it happens, so I can go back and see what I missed later. It really helps, it does. It helps with most things, but the truth of the matter is that it doesn't help with blind piano tuners. Yes, you heard me.

We have 26 pianos in our building. Two years ago, there were only 14, but something happened, we don't know if it was the building renovations or if it was behaviour in the dead of night, but those pianos have now multiplied to 26 and 12 are baby grands, if you catch my drift. We have a delightful blind piano tuner who comes annually and spends a few weeks tuning those melodious wooden boxes. He likes to work alone, and he tunes in a most delightful way. He plays softly, repetitively, calmlyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I met him a few weeks ago for the first time. I accompanied him downstairs to the dungeon where he worked for a good hour on the lone piano there. I sat in a chair and actually was lulled to sleep by his work. I like cat naps, so it was a good thing, but then something happened.

I brought him upstairs, and carefully planted him in front of another box. The chaos of my job kicked in, and before I had him firmly parked, I had accumulated 3 or 4 more tasks to be done NOW. Ichecked my watch, left him tuning, and I returned to my desk where the daily storms were in full force tossing papers and calls all over the place. Time passed, or rather time escaped me. I heard a friend call out, "Lunch?" and I dropped what I was doing, realizing I was dizzy from hunger. We ate something quick and returned so I could get back to my mountain of busi-ness. I walked into the building and was met with the lilting melody of faint piano music. I immediately remembered the piano tuner and dropped my bag, ran down the hall to where I had left him. There he stood, just as I had left him, only now, he was playing songs. He spoke before I had a chance to catch my breath. " Ready?"
" I'm so sorry, I took so long, I am so sorry."
"No problem, it happens all the time- just take me to the next piano."
I delivered him and went back to my office where the maintenance guy was waiting for me.
"You'd forgotten him, didn't you? You forget he was even here?" He shook his head right at me.
" Yes, I feel so guilty, but yes, I did."
" I'll take him around, it's getting late in the day and we don't want him stuck here all night."
I pictured the church, late at night. Dark, lonely walls. and then, breaking the silence of dark comes a small voice from afar.... " helll000000?? hell0000000??? Is anybody there?"
Well, I tell you, sister. I broke right down. "Oh, yes. take him, please take him. It's the only way to go!"

Staying in the moment isn't always easy when you are pulled in different directions,so keep your backup handy. You might need help with important tasks sometimes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's just hope that the piano tuner and the maintenance guy don't team up one day and play a game of "blind man's bluff" on the Church Chick and really cause havoc.

Anonymous said...

Love the line: "12 baby grands, if you catch my drift"