Reentry Blues


Sorry about that two month hiatus there. If it is any consolation, in the words of Larry Nelson, “You’ve always been on my mind.”

I’m now several months into “reentry” and things are mostly good, but with definite bumps along the way. One plus for you longer time readers is that I have a draft of the book done. We’ll see where it goes from here. But that consumed a lot of my time this spring. Now I just have to get it to make sense…

For the most part reentry has gone well. We’ve done a couple vacations. I’m trying to get back into the swing of pastoral life juggled with family life. It’s okay. Here are a few observations that do come to my mind:

  • The things that bothered me on disability still bother me, e.g. overstimulus, stress, time with too many people, and so forth. That has not gone away. I’m learning how to manage it better, but it is still a long road.
  • Family time really has to be deliberate and planned. If it isn’t, I’m much more likely to simply bail out.
  • “A man has to know his limitations,” in the words of Clint Eastwood. I am very tempted to take on new and more projects, and to get right back to where I started. It’s my nature to be the superpastor, and while I’m working on that, it is very hard for me.
  • Time in the Scriptures and in prayer is easier now, but still not an unconscious habit of my daily life. Maybe its energy. Maybe there are still spiritual matters that have yet to be resolved. I’m not sure. But this is an ongoing challenge for me, as it is for most pastors.

So there you have it. I hope to be back to posting more regularly now. If you have any topics you would like to see covered, let me know and I’ll take a stab at it.

-DMR

2 thoughts on “Reentry Blues”

  1. I am glad you are back. I look for entries every day. I am a pastor and I live in depression. I have since 2001. I am not sure if it is commiseration or an inordinate desire to read about depression and/or about those who are fellow strugglers, but I do appreciate your blog. Today is a bad day, thanks for posting.

  2. I am glad you are back. I look for entries every day. I am a pastor and I live in depression. I have since 2001. I am not sure if it is commiseration or an inordinate desire to read about depression and/or about those who are fellow strugglers, but I do appreciate your blog. Today is a bad day, thanks for posting.

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