Days in the "Office"

It has been said that few people at the end of their life say “ I wish I would have spent more time at the office.” Lately, however, I find myself thinking “ I wish I would have spent more time in The Office.” The Daily Office of the Book Of Common Prayer, that is.

I find it a meaningful, yet delightful, way to begin and end the day. There is something special about an early rising with its solitude and quietness to spend some time in prayer and Scripture. Prayers that have served the Church and stood the tests of time. Prayers that do not focus solely on me. Prayers that prompt my own prayers. Scriptures that have been part of the Church Lectionary for probably hundreds of years. One seems to find his place in the grand scheme of things. And it is a wonderful way to fill my mind with things eternal before retiring for the day. (Far better than the news!)

I have to admit that this was a bit of a struggle at first. This old guy likes his ten hours of sleep. And then something began to happen; I began waking up to check the clock. Was it 5:00 yet? Is it that special time to rise? I am anxious to begin these prayers and readings. Of course, I must brew a pot of tea first. (After all, tea is what makes days worth living. With milk, of course, poured in the cup first before adding that delightful hot brown liquid!)

Mid-evening finds me heading back to the Daily Office and my loving spouse knows that I will soon be departing for the bedroom in about an hour and she will wind up her day in solitude.

So I say to myself “it’s good to go back to the Office”.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it...

When a Luddite Hits the Wall

I love typewriters. They tend to put one in the slow lane of life and have great appeal for us piddler/plodders. They might not be efficient but then 'efficiency' may be greatly overblown. A typewriter makes you think about what you are going to say before you commit it to paper. They are noisy but have do have a certain rhythm about them. Your hands get a bit oily when you change the ribbon. And these are just a few of their wonderful attributes. Need one say more?

Here's the problem. I recently agreed to collaborate on a writing project with a friend who lives about an hour and a half away. We can meet midway at a coffee shop or library and spend some time working together or we can work together on-line with Google Documents and instantly see what the other is doing, all from the comforts of one's own desk (or dining room table or recliner). You can't collaborate using a manual typewriter. But then, coffee shops may not the best place to use a typewriter anyway. Unless you want people to glare at you.

Having to eat my words about using only using typers, I went to Costco and purchased a Chrome Book computer which they had on special. I guess it will work well with Google Docs. Now documents have become almost foolproof. They are much too easy! What can I say?

I miss my white-out? ... Oh well.

That's my story and I sticking to it.