Rest, renewal, and the Reverend Brent Hawkes

I’m heading out of town for a couple of days next week. I’ve booked a little time off work and bought a round-trip ticket to Ottawa. I figured it was time for a break, and I’m planning to come back ready to tackle everything I’m taking a break from with renewed energy.

I’m not the sort of person who likes to take a bunch of time off for myself. If it sounds like I’m bragging about what a busy and impressive guy I am, then let me assure you that this is actually one of my biggest personal failings. I work hard on a bunch of things, both personal and professional, but that’s not the same as working effectively.

In fact, it’s often its opposite. Too much time spent working as hard as you can on too many things, without a real sense of priority and a commitment to recharging your batteries every now and then, is a great way to burn yourself out. Which sucks for the burnout, sure, but it also sucks for the people who have to live and deal with him.

In my case, the woman I love and live with – with whom I’ve bought a house and with which I’m currently planning a wedding – is a pretty prime example. Spinning your wheels and stressing out, to the point of becoming a twitchy sack of nerves, ought to rank pretty highly on the list of things you shouldn’t force a woman like that to deal with. And yes, if I’m being perfectly honest, I’ve got to admit that there are times when I’m not the easiest person to be around, let alone live with.

There’s a lesson to be learned from that, and I’ll break it down now in case you’re one of those people who feels they’re just too damned busy to read the rest of this post. As selfish as it might seem to take a little time to relax and renew your energy, it’s ultimately far more selfish to deny yourself these rights if you’re going to do it to the point of inconveniencing, annoying, or flat out letting down the people in your life.

If you need an excuse to chill out for a couple of hours, a couple of days or a couple of weeks, then I can’t think of a better one than that. Believe me, I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s worth doing.

A few weeks ago, Kate and I took her visiting mother down to the Metropolitan Community Church for their Sunday service. I’ve mentioned before that they’re “quite possibly the best church in town,” and although we’re not regular churchgoers by any means, we do consider the MCC to be a huge and underrated force for good in this city.

That’s why asking the Reverend Brent Hawkes to officiate our wedding was an absolute no-brainer, and why we consider his acceptance an honour. It’s also why we found ourselves at the MCC on the last Sunday in July, hours before Kate’s mother was due to fly back to the UK.

Now, like I said, I’m not a churchgoer. But the few services I’ve attended at the MCC have been very inspiring experiences indeed. And this service was no exception.

As it happened, Reverend Hawkes had also been feeling the pressure of a heavy workload – one much heavier than mine, I’m sure. What’s more, as he explained, his stress and tension had been getting the best of him, and they were starting to affect his work and his relationships with his colleagues and congregation. Which is why, following some soul searching, Reverend Hawkes had decided to take a sabbatical during the month of August, and return in September with renewed dedication and enthusiasm.

You can call it a coincidence or an act of God, but in any case it was a good thing to hear and the right time to hear it. The Reverend asked his congregation if they would pray for him during his absence, asking God to grant him rest, renewal and clarity of vision. Those are noble goals indeed, and I have to admit than in addition to hoping for the best for the Reverend, I’ve also tried to follow his example.

One of the first things I did was purge my “to do” lists. For too long, I’ve made a habit of confusing the things I’d like to do at some point with the things I ought to be working on right now, along with everything else. That’s pretty much the exact opposite of setting priorities, and once I realized I was doing it, I also realized it had to stop. So I singled out all the projects that could reasonably sit on the shelf until after the honeymoon – and I’m literally talking about a few dozen projects, large or small – and I filed them away for the simple sake of ignoring them for the next few weeks.

After that, I booked a couple of days off. I had more than enough vacation time to spare, which in itself is probably a pretty strong indicator that I could use a break.

Which isn’t to say that I’m just going to head out to Ottawa and sit on my ass for a couple of days. I’m planning to take a few books with me, and I’m hoping to tackle some big picture thinking and work that I haven’t really had the time to deal with. I’m not going to push myself by any means, but I am going to allow myself to indulge in a few of the things I’ve been meaning to tackle once I’ve got the time.

I’m looking forward to the break, and knowing it’s coming has made it a lot easier, and even a little more fun, to tackle the work leading up to it. But I’m also looking forward to coming back home and jumping back into my routine with a whole new perspective.

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