Pity My Visitees, But Not Too Much… 😊 - August 14, 2021
Pity my visitees, but not too much… 😊
I’m on the People Care Team at our church. During the times when worshipping at church or meeting together is limited or not permitted, we make friendly phone calls to folks associated with our meeting place – Jelly Bean Church. (Not the real name.) It’s simply a friendly way to keep in touch.
I am inclined to do things in batches. No great surprise, but I’m also inclined to disorganization so if I set a date and write it down, things get done. So I picked Tuesday, August 10.
I sit a lot these days. Way too much. So I thought while I talked to folks on the phone, I could walk on our treadmill or ride our spin bike. I say “our” but Laur wants nothing to do with them. And lately I’ve been avoiding them too.
It was a great idea, but both machines are very noisy. I have a very loud voice but the constant whirring in the background would cause my callees to wish they’d never picked up the phone. (They might think that anyways.)
So I decided to walk on the spot while talking on the phone. Problem then is hearing the stomp stomp stomp – I am not light on my feet. No worries. I got a mat and that absorbed the stomping sound. At least in our unit. Anyone under us, well, that could be another thing.
What I quickly learned is that I have a hard time doing two things at once, and my walking on the spot quickly became standing on the spot. And this quickly became sitting on the couch again. Ah well.
I mentioned I have a loud voice. Hubs can clearly hear my voice – though not what I’m saying – down the hall and through the bedroom door. Even if he turns his fan on. He says to me, “You sound like you genuinely enjoy doing this.” Hubs would rather have dental work than make a phone call. I kid you not. I have been known to dial the phone number of the person he needs to call, and hand the phone to him saying “So and so is about to answer and you need to talk about…”
And I truly DO enjoy catching up with these remarkable people. They are super kind, doing interesting things, and have remarkable stories. And they actually thank me for calling them. I’m stunned. And grateful.
I ended my Tuesday visiting day by driving to a dear friend’s seniors’ apartment. I felt super organized. I had her phone number and address. I had the map application on our phone turned on. I had our Garmin as a back up. (I have no sense of direction.) I had a Hen n Chicks plant to give Jill (not her real name) and her husband, plus directions on how to water it. I had my pot of tea in a one litre water bottle. (Yes, I drink a litre of tea in the afternoon.)
I walked into the office of Jelly Bean Seniors’ Apartment for clearance and realized – Oh no! I had forgot to bring my proof of vaccinations. The screener suggested, “You have a picture of it on your phone…” And I said , “Um no…” And he apologized profusely but said I had to have proof. And I had to agree with him. He said, “Do you know how to take a picture with your phone?” And was ready to show me. I declined… I was worried that – under stress – I might have forgotten the password for my phone.
I asked him to take the Hen n Chicks plant plus its instructions to my friends. He agreed to. And cringing, I returned to our Van – Vanny McVanface – and phoned Jill to let her know I wouldn’t be able to visit after all. Her hubs Jack answered. He said, “We could meet you outside!” Eureka! Why didn’t I think of that!? Likely for the same reason I forgot to bring proof of vaccination. I’m disorganized.
We had a lovely visit. And Jill and Jack had already received their wee plant. The screener delivered it at the same time as they were heading outside. Good thing I didn’t sneak in through a side door. Which I considered doing for all of about one second. Breaking rules is not my thing – there is about a 99% chance that I will get caught.
I said 99% because there is a 1% chance that I won’t get caught. And I did something illegal on that day, and got away with it. I forgot to bring my purse in which I have my driver’s license. I’m a super cautious driver at the best of times. I drove home like I had a driving instructor or – even more nerve-wracking – my husband sitting beside me.
*****
On Sunday, August 22 I hope to be commissioned as a Community Chaplain at Jelly Bean Church. I’ll be doing what I already do, but with the blessing of the larger church and more accountability. Both of which I welcome.
To celebrate I want to get another decal for our van. The acronym for Community Chaplain On Wheels is CCOW or Sea-COW. I want a picture of a manatee riding a bike or driving a van with the letters C-COW underneath it. The idea is that as a community chaplain I’ll also be visiting folks who don’t get many visitors in longer term care facilities or who are receiving palliative care.
I don’t expect anyone to “get” the decal. I do hope to find a graphic artist with a big heart and a great sense of humour.
I’m on the People Care Team at our church. During the times when worshipping at church or meeting together is limited or not permitted, we make friendly phone calls to folks associated with our meeting place – Jelly Bean Church. (Not the real name.) It’s simply a friendly way to keep in touch.
I am inclined to do things in batches. No great surprise, but I’m also inclined to disorganization so if I set a date and write it down, things get done. So I picked Tuesday, August 10.
I sit a lot these days. Way too much. So I thought while I talked to folks on the phone, I could walk on our treadmill or ride our spin bike. I say “our” but Laur wants nothing to do with them. And lately I’ve been avoiding them too.
It was a great idea, but both machines are very noisy. I have a very loud voice but the constant whirring in the background would cause my callees to wish they’d never picked up the phone. (They might think that anyways.)
So I decided to walk on the spot while talking on the phone. Problem then is hearing the stomp stomp stomp – I am not light on my feet. No worries. I got a mat and that absorbed the stomping sound. At least in our unit. Anyone under us, well, that could be another thing.
What I quickly learned is that I have a hard time doing two things at once, and my walking on the spot quickly became standing on the spot. And this quickly became sitting on the couch again. Ah well.
I mentioned I have a loud voice. Hubs can clearly hear my voice – though not what I’m saying – down the hall and through the bedroom door. Even if he turns his fan on. He says to me, “You sound like you genuinely enjoy doing this.” Hubs would rather have dental work than make a phone call. I kid you not. I have been known to dial the phone number of the person he needs to call, and hand the phone to him saying “So and so is about to answer and you need to talk about…”
And I truly DO enjoy catching up with these remarkable people. They are super kind, doing interesting things, and have remarkable stories. And they actually thank me for calling them. I’m stunned. And grateful.
I ended my Tuesday visiting day by driving to a dear friend’s seniors’ apartment. I felt super organized. I had her phone number and address. I had the map application on our phone turned on. I had our Garmin as a back up. (I have no sense of direction.) I had a Hen n Chicks plant to give Jill (not her real name) and her husband, plus directions on how to water it. I had my pot of tea in a one litre water bottle. (Yes, I drink a litre of tea in the afternoon.)
I walked into the office of Jelly Bean Seniors’ Apartment for clearance and realized – Oh no! I had forgot to bring my proof of vaccinations. The screener suggested, “You have a picture of it on your phone…” And I said , “Um no…” And he apologized profusely but said I had to have proof. And I had to agree with him. He said, “Do you know how to take a picture with your phone?” And was ready to show me. I declined… I was worried that – under stress – I might have forgotten the password for my phone.
I asked him to take the Hen n Chicks plant plus its instructions to my friends. He agreed to. And cringing, I returned to our Van – Vanny McVanface – and phoned Jill to let her know I wouldn’t be able to visit after all. Her hubs Jack answered. He said, “We could meet you outside!” Eureka! Why didn’t I think of that!? Likely for the same reason I forgot to bring proof of vaccination. I’m disorganized.
We had a lovely visit. And Jill and Jack had already received their wee plant. The screener delivered it at the same time as they were heading outside. Good thing I didn’t sneak in through a side door. Which I considered doing for all of about one second. Breaking rules is not my thing – there is about a 99% chance that I will get caught.
I said 99% because there is a 1% chance that I won’t get caught. And I did something illegal on that day, and got away with it. I forgot to bring my purse in which I have my driver’s license. I’m a super cautious driver at the best of times. I drove home like I had a driving instructor or – even more nerve-wracking – my husband sitting beside me.
*****
On Sunday, August 22 I hope to be commissioned as a Community Chaplain at Jelly Bean Church. I’ll be doing what I already do, but with the blessing of the larger church and more accountability. Both of which I welcome.
To celebrate I want to get another decal for our van. The acronym for Community Chaplain On Wheels is CCOW or Sea-COW. I want a picture of a manatee riding a bike or driving a van with the letters C-COW underneath it. The idea is that as a community chaplain I’ll also be visiting folks who don’t get many visitors in longer term care facilities or who are receiving palliative care.
I don’t expect anyone to “get” the decal. I do hope to find a graphic artist with a big heart and a great sense of humour.