Fragmentary Present

In response to an email conversation about parish calling and visiting, I pulled a book off my shelf - Turning to One Another by Margaret J. Wheatley. We read this book in a class on congregational leadership, taught by an adjunct prof & parish priest who really makes a point of visiting for the sake of it. Flipping through it, I came across this quote from sociologist John Berger:

There is no continuity between actions, there are no pauses, no paths, no pattern, no past and no future. There is only the claomor of the ... fragmentary present. Everywhere there are surprises and sensations, ye tnothwere is there any outcome. Nothing flows through; everything interupts.

I was recently telling someone that this is how I've been feeling - like days and weeks just rush by me. I think that our modern habit of multi-tasking is part of the problem. Being organized is a gift. Being perpetually distracted by the next thing on your list is not.

Of course, I'm writing this with four different projects and tasks open on my desk. But, I am going to commit right now to leaving them on my desk in every possible sense when I go home so I can enjoy the fun and fancy dinner Luke and I have planned for Valentine's Day.

Maybe if I'm focused, I won't end up with a second-degree burn on my hand like I did last night. At least its red and pink for Valentine's Day.