Posted by: subo | April 3, 2008

Reviewing a day

I understand there’s an Ignatian practice of reviewing the day, as though sitting there with God and watching the day unfold in retrospect, I try to do this and am just struck by the comic extremes of city life, and my sense of lostness and exhaustion, but hey, I’d love to hear a little about other people’s days.

today I met an organic food seller who tried to persuade me to buy a joint of pork, it looked good, but when could I cook? Then at work a women tried to ask me for a leaflet on depression, I tried and tried to get someone to find me one to give her, I tried to make sense of the discordant laughter of the staff and desperation of the patients. Into the evening my faith slipped, as I looked with fear and rage at the dreams slipping through my fingers. I phoned my folks as Mum has been unwell, Dad was stressed as she’d been ranting and raving at him - ‘Mum, please don’t have a go at Dad!’, ‘Oh darling, I’ve got to go, …..’ she hates people not being completely on her side. As I wobbled through despair and frustration I tried to read the Sacred Space page - ‘Teach me to slow down, to be still and enjoy the pleasures created for me.’ enough energy left just to eat some tea - and celebrate the flavour.

just wondering how other people’s days have been

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Hi Subo. Yes, is that the practice of taking the good experiences and the bad experiences and seeing God in both and thanking him for both? It’s similar if not the same. I was spending a day in school yesterday (I’m training to be a primary teacher). The teaching assistant pointed me in the direction of the anti-bacterial hand wash - reminding me that children are the most effective carriers of all manner of unpleasant things. Then there ensued a conversation in the staff room about head lice. Would zoo-keeper have been a healthier occupation?

I popped to the Liverpool Tate Gallery after school - it’s quite nearby and the art part of my course required me to ‘research’ some 3D work. I saw my first Damien Hearst ‘in the flesh’. Struck by its beauty from a distance I got closer to see it was hundreds of pairs of beautiful butterfly wings stuck to a canvas, a morbid decoupage. How many lovely butterflies lost their lives to make an artistic point? It was grotesquely beautiful. At least it got a reaction from me.

Arriving home, the kitchen bore all the hallmarks of my eldest daughter being home - dirty pans and dishes everywhere. She was supposedly cooking for herself and her younger sister (they had both been home all day and had lunched late). She promised she would do something for the two of them later on. I asked her to make sure the kitchen was sorted before her dad arrived home at 9:30. She was still only partway through when he arrived home - something about being distracted by a phone call she ‘needed’ to take. Youngest daughter says to dad, “Aren’t we going to eat tonight?” He then has a moan to me rather than our girl. I hate being moaned at - especially when I am in the middle of doing church rotas and conscious I should actually be doing college work. I hate people sulking. I hate them saying they are OK when they clearly are not so I shouted at him. He sulked some more. Then he asked me if I wanted a drink. “NO”.

I finished the rotas about 11:30. He asked me if I wanted a drink. I responded more positively this time. The day’s stresses were finally resolved with a mug of Ovaltine. Not a brilliant day, but by some people’s standards …

By: Carole on April 3, 2008
at 10:53 am

PS Hope your mum is feeling better soon.

By: Carole on April 3, 2008
at 10:54 am

how cool to find your comments Carol, and to share a little of your day.

I love that sense of knowing who’s in the house from seeing the kitchen.

it’s fantastic to hear your trianing as a primary school teacher.

all the best
su

By: subo on April 4, 2008
at 7:42 am

Dear Su and Carol,

Great to hear from you. I’ve been busy sorting out a leaflet for Reality Bites and it’s been very frustrating and also working on my story course for Urban Saints and I’ve just finished the really sweaty bit researching and writing out the twenty stories. I feel knackered.

The kids have been on holiday (hard to get work done) but emile has just made a tremendousmate with a kiwi next door called Sophie ad they’ re having a lot of fun playing. Hannah is reading like a crazed ax murderer and she amazes me with her uderstanding of so much. She wants to go to Cambridge but I’ve told her she should go to Thames Valley. She gets the gag.

Carole really good to hear about your teacher training stuff. hope its going well. when i did my pgce in 1981 it almost drove me mad. I hated the essays they gave but i scraped through

Su you definitely have gifts in writing you should consider writing a novel. i think you could pull it off.

rocky the hamster

By: Mark Roques on April 5, 2008
at 10:38 am

cheers for the compliment Rocky, I’ll live off that for months, will you get to chill now the twenty stories are in the bag?

By: subo on April 5, 2008
at 10:54 am

I hasten to add that the frustration with the leaflet has not been with Jon who designed it (brilliantly) but with the printers who have been hard work! now it’s finished and its a relief.

rocky

By: Mark Roques on April 5, 2008
at 11:29 am

Su, I feel that often my days are so chocker full of things it is hard to reflect at the end of them, as i am so tired!

But todays been a quieter day so thought I would spend some time thinking about the past week. It’s the been the usual mix of family, work, uni, school. Here’s a few bits though:

Found and gathered lots of creative materials for the girls to use in their easter activity making competition at school-they went in loaded with stuff- in the end they only used a tiny bit each of the materials but seemed to share it with every other child in the school!!

Carried out 4 pieces of consultation with under 5’s for work’s good Childhood enquiry. The theme I covered with them was family- trying to find out what they thought about families by using a simple picture story I created. Had some wonderful insightful comments from “families need to love you and care for you” my family makes me feel special”, “my baby sisters love me” families make you happy by kissing you and giving you hugs”.

Had 2 people ring me for advise on job interviews they were going for this week, wanted advise around latest legislation on working with children, good practice etc- found out that 1 of them got the job- not heard about the other. maybe I should take up interview consultation?!.

had a variety of meetings at school- I’m chair of governors of my children’s school, always seems to take up a ridiculous amount of time!. I have learnt a scary amount of information about employment law! and building regulations.Also celebrated the heads 1st year at the school by buying him wine, listing some of his achievements and organised another governor to make a cake for him.

Supported and mentored 2 artists and school on the last session of the arts project- children were drawing with chalk and charcoal on huge pieces of paper- then they decided to mark make with their bodies!!- very amusing, lots of washing 5 & 6 yr olds blackened faces and tummies!!.

Wrote 2 reports for work, had umpteen phonecalls, visited 7 settings to support, advise, observe. Varying from early years, schools, social services.

Tried to write some of my dissertation, panicked because my last essay marks were not on line- but celebrated to discover I got an A!

Managed to catch a few converstaions with Iain- tried to support him in his drawing. desigining a sculpture commision and show an interest in him generally!

helped children with homework, cooked, failed on cleanig!, planted potatoes and onions in the garden and managed to spend 2 nights with friends!

No wonder I’m tired! but at least life is not boring. I think this week I have learnt to enjoy those unexpected moments of laughter, and joy.

By: soniamain on April 5, 2008
at 5:25 pm

Oh wow, Sonia, this is such a speicial piece of work - and timely as we are finding our culture is leaveing less room for family life, some wonderful insightful comments from “families need to love you and care for you” my family makes me feel special”, “my baby sisters love me” families make you happy by kissing you and giving you hugs”. thats just amazing reading about your achievments this week, I doubt many people get the opportunity to do so much consulting and mentoring at work.

By: subo on April 5, 2008
at 9:10 pm

Thank you Su, didn’t write it to make me look good!- but it helped me to see what I do and that at times my job can be great. It was really helpful exercise for me- thank you for suggesting it.

By: soniamain on April 6, 2008
at 10:08 am

Sonia, I need to go and have a lie down - just reading about your week has exhausted me!

By: Carole on April 6, 2008
at 7:36 pm

not as bad as it sounds carole!- anyway now on school holiday for 2 weeks- so lot more relaxing!

By: soniamain on April 6, 2008
at 9:03 pm

Hey this is so interesting reading about everyone’s days! I am a) glad I am not the only one packing in a lot (can’t even get close to Sonia though!!!) and b) not the only one finding it hard sometimes….oops, customers! better go!

By: clare on April 7, 2008
at 5:52 pm

cheers Clare, we’ll expect to hear a little of your day later!

By: subo on April 7, 2008
at 7:02 pm

hang on mine was a week not a day- so not that bad!

By: sonia on April 8, 2008
at 9:00 am

me thinks Sonia is secretly Wonder Woman in disguise!

Read all this last night and was going to reply but as I spent the whole of yesterday in bed sleeping I didn’t feel it was a good reflection of me (no, I’m not a complete lazy arse)

So, here’s the best day of my week…

Sunday was first day back at school after our Easter holiday. Got up at 5am and into school by 6 - marked three sets of books that I hadn’t taken home over the holiday and typed up a marking criteria for my Year 7 Drama class. Got photocopying done and went to staff briefing followed by assembly, where I picked up a new tutor group whose tutor left over Easter.

Prepared my AS students for their practical exam, had to be in a couple of the scenes doing physical work as Christina was mauled by a dog over the holiday and is on crutches.

Two frees - in which I started planning the drama festival coming here in November with my Head of Dept - we also had a long chat about some of the politics about the school.

Year 9’s were developing ritual ceremonies, did twice the normal amount of work as they have a mock exam next week and will miss drama.

Year 7’s were completing a gang warfare whole group dance piece - was going to film them but felt sick and ended up lying on the stage watching them for most of the lesson!

As soon as the bell went we pegged it to the car and raced down the road for the Bahrain Grand Prix - got there for lap 8 (having changed in the car on the way - slightly dodgy in a muslim country!)

Watched the race, wandered around, caught up with kids and non-teching friends.

Got home at 8pm ish and fed the cats, skippy ate and I painted some boards for mug shots I need to take for part of the AS exam.

Went to bed at 9.30 and was totally knackered! Am trying to take things a bit easier, hence the sleeping all day bit yesterday……

By: dadube on April 10, 2008
at 4:55 am

I’ve been thinking a lot about this thread, even though I haven’t got around to posting. There is a real challenge in doing what Carole mentions and trying to see where God is in everything that happens in your day. I keep trying… sometimes it throws new light on something and makes you feel really grateful for it - for example the day I read this I had bumped into a friend on the way to work and we had a really fun conversation which I had forgotten about until I made the effort to ‘rewind’ my day.

By: clare on April 10, 2008
at 2:09 pm

You’re right Clare that it makes you remember key things that have happened that you might forget because of everything else, and it is good to see the moments when God is present.

In the past I kept a journal to try and write down positives from each day - but its so much more satifying to review a day this way (much less of a chore!)

By: dadube on April 10, 2008
at 6:00 pm

i loved reading about your days/weeks on this post, it’s just amazing how close you can feel to people.

for me the key thing in this form of meditation is to see God’s love pervading your day. letting his warmth and acceptance hold you.

cheers and love, su

By: subo on April 10, 2008
at 7:11 pm

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