Today is new year's eve. I'm in the middle of nowhere. Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, to be precise, but the middle of nowhere describes it pretty well.
Yesterday I celebrated two masses and a baptism in two of the churches here on the mission, filling in for Fr Tim who is away. But today, there's nothing on, nothing that needs to be done, indeed nothing much to do.
So I've spent an entire quiet day, mostly on my own (the other two priests have been in and out). This has been a very unusual couple of weeks for me in that I've had a lot of quiet time on my own, both here at the parish, and at Yankton (see earlier blog). And while I think that back at home when I was working full tilt and trying to cram as much of everything in to every minute of the day I would have found this really boring; here, I've been able to enjoy quiet and solitude more than ever before. This is a good indicator for me that the whole sabbatical experience has made a difference for me. I've used the quiet time creatively - I've prayed, read, journalled, gone jogging, and written more significant emails than I ever have - maintaining relationships with friends back home.
I think I'm more at home with my own company than ever before, and for an extrovert, that's a good thing. I think I've also become more patient. I inherited impatience from my dad. When I did the Johari/Nohari personality profile earlier this year the number one trait I recognised in myself, which a majority of others saw in me too was: impatience. Now, I'm much better at waiting for things to happen, and not rushing too much. Well, I hope so, anyway....
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