by Father Mark Goldasich
Summertime. I’ve always had a special spot in my heart for this season. No doubt that’s due to memories from childhood of seemingly endless days when school was out — time spent enjoying popsicles, riding bikes with friends, taking trips to the public library and “the Avenue” or splashing in inflatable backyard pools.
I especially welcome summer this year because the last several weeks were hectic at The Leaven with the death of Pope Francis, the conclave, the election of Pope Leo, the new parish assignments, the retirement of Archbishop Naumann and the welcome of Archbishop McKnight. And after those “mammoth” last couple of May issues, it was a relief to “only” have a 16-page, “regular” Leaven on June 13.
I don’t like to admit it but I’m getting older and don’t have quite the stamina! I treasure our summer schedule of a Leaven every other week. I need the time to refresh and recharge. And, from what I’ve observed, I’m not alone in that. I’m amazed at how packed summer schedules are for families with kids in various sports or camps, parents driving them around or even all the preparations for a family vacation.
Maybe we can all benefit from the following story, told by David Slagel of Atlanta:
A few years ago, I got a call from a girl in my department whose car had broken down, leaving her stranded about two miles from the office. I drove there and found her leaning against her car, looking flustered.
I asked what happened.
“Well, I was just driving down the road, and the car quit running,” she said.
“Could you be out of gas?” I asked.
“No,” she replied, “I just filled it up.”
Well, that question pretty well exhausted my automotive diagnostic abilities, but I persisted. “Did it make any noise?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “As I was driving down the hill, it went brump, brump, brump. POW!”
I then asked, “When was the last time you changed the oil?”
She looked at me with a puzzled look and said, “Oil?”
As it turned out, she’d owned the car for 18 months and had never changed the oil! Slagle noted that he gets that same look from frazzled friends when he asks when the last time was that they took a Sabbath’s rest. (Story adapted from “1001 Illustrations That Connect,” edited by Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof.)
Summer is an ideal time to change our “oil.” I like to dedicate my non-deadline Tuesdays to something fun like having a meal at a restaurant I’ve wanted to try, attending a show or sporting event with friends, popping into a museum, going bowling or playing miniature golf, or just getting lost in a good novel.
On other summer days, I’ve rediscovered something called “the fine art of puttering around.” The dictionary defines it as “doing things in a relaxed way, without rushing or trying very hard.” As you know, I struggle mightily with decluttering and organization in general. But puttering around? In that, I excel.
It might mean that I pass by a dusty shelf and Swiffer only it. I’ll come across a loose screw on a drawer handle, and I’ll tighten it. I’ll notice some old magazines and put them in the recycling bag. I’ll change a lightbulb that’s been burnt out for a bit. I’ll grab a portable sweeper and clean out the floor mats of my car. I’ll toss out some boxes of expired food from the pantry. None of these things take much time or effort but puttering helps me to keep my life in reasonable order.
So, how about you? If it’s time to change your oil this summer, I’d highly recommend you start with some puttering around!
