people-time

Some days are fairly non-stop.

Happily so, I have to say. I enjoy the huge variety and I revel in being on the go.

But hardly a moment to pause, take stock and stand back from it all.

Today was a day like that.

A series of different meetings. Except I don't really like to call them that at all.

It's strange that we do. Call them 'meetings'. The word makes them seem so impersonal. Maybe that's why I'm not a 'meeting' person.

Why are they called 'meetings'? I guess because they're times set aside for meeting other people. So why not call them 'people times' instead? So that I could explain, "I've got a people-time at 7.3pm". Instead of saying, I've a(nother) meeting.

My day's been full of people. And I like it that way.

Virtually all of the morning (after I'd made the soups of course!), was spent with the guy who's creating a whole new database for us. A lot of time. But valuable, too. Working through just how the thing will work and how he'll be able to tailor it all to our needs.

It's a sort of 'shepherding' type of thing. A shepherd needs good admin if he's ever going to notice that a sheep of his is lost. He needs to know how many sheep there are if he's going to be able to suss out that one's gone.

The database is that sort of thing. So the meeting was basically 'pastoral' - at least in terms of intent.

At the end of the morning and into lunch I was meeting with someone else. Some of it fairly practical. Some of it bigger and broader by far. Discussing the future. And also just catching up.

People.

There was time with Douglas at lunch as well. Another 'people-time'. Listening, learning, sharing and praying together. Talkng things through. Working things out. Trying to see the hand of the Lord and the ways he's at work in our worlds.

I got in touch with a friend from decades back at school. We were chums back then and in the years that followed schooling we had many times together. Africa, Canada, working up north on the farm that his father ran.

Then over the years we simply got out of touch. He's up north and I'm down here and .. well, our paths just never crossed.

Last night I saw him on the TV news. A brief report and just a tiny snippet of an interview with him (he's a local councillor up north). But I knew it was him right away.

So today I 'googled' the guy and got an address I could contact him through. More time. But more time well spent. People-time again.

And the evening was the same.

I've given up on 'meetings'! The word is just a switch-off, so far as I'm concerned. Mention a 'meeting' - I groan (inwardly). I think I'm going to call them something else.

'People-times' convey a rather different picture!