There are plenty of get-to-know you conversations I have had as I've moved around over the past few years. Certain topics always get covered right away: Where are you from? What do you do? Where did you go to school? What are your favorite books/ movies/ TV shows/ pizza toppings/ coffee flavors/ etc?
Discussions about spirituality have been far much less common, but still arise. Interestingly, sometimes they come in the early relationship-building chats; other times I've known someone for years before the subject comes up. When I get asked about my beliefs, the response I give is the same. "We used to go to a Protestant Congregation on and off when I was a kid. Since then my sister has converted to Catholicism and a brother is now staunch atheist. Isn't that wacky?" And my companions usually agree that yes, that is wacky, and we talk about that for a while and no one seems to notice that I've side-stepped the actual question.
When I went to Sunday School as a child and was told, "This is what we believe..." It seemed a bit odd to me that someone else what dictating what I believed. From my early understanding of the term, I thought to believe something meant you had the idea originally or had spent sometime thinking/ learning about it for a while and settled on what made the most sense. This definition of the term still feels natural. I have had conversations with both of my siblings about spirituality, and certain things from both of their view points have made struck a cord with me. But placing myself somewhere on the spiritual spectrum they represent has proven difficult. And what do we do with issues that are hard to nail down? Set them aside and get busy focusing on something else (By we, I mean I, though I suspect I'm not the only one with this approach).
It's not that I never think about my personal relationship with a higher power or what I believe as an individual. It's just that I've rarely, if ever, consciously make time for it. This project, however, provides the structure I need to start examining those questions. It may seem odd to essentially place, "Find God" on a to-do list. It feels like it should come from some life changing event or that clarity should just strike me out of the blue. But I've had plenty of life changing events and none of them have pushed me toward a church. I spent my late adolescence/ early adulthood waiting for an "Ah-ha" moment that never came. I figure it's better this way than not at all.
And where did I go this morning, you ask. Given the background I've just outlined above, I'm sure it is not surprising to hear that it was to a Unitarian Universalist Congregation. I have many Unitarian friends, and I've always like what I've heard about the sense of community that surrounds the individual spiritual quest. I'm not sure if I'll eventually join as a full member, or if this is just the starting point that leads to something else, but that's the beauty of this blog. I don't need to worry about what the end result is, just what I am doing today.
Today's other accomplishments:
- Made the bed
- Did a little exercise
- Read a book
- Did my homework
- Prepped tomorrow's meals
- Prepped the coffee pot
- Folded my Laundry
- Watched a Ted Talk
- Flossed my teeth
- Got out of the house
- Worked on Wedding stuff
- Cleared off my table
- Cleared off my futon
- Cleaned the corner of my room
- Knocked something off my To-Do list
- Check my bank balance
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