Why do we compartmentalise our lives? I didn’t think I did, but tonight I’ve started to question that. 

Over the last two days there has been a lot of talk in my classroom about days, apparently the nicest day to write is Monday, the worst day is Wednesday. Today I was asked what my favourite day of the week was (other than the weekend – that was taken for granted). I’ve never Really had a favourite day of the week, but I know for the last few weeks I have been dreading Tuesdays, the day was going to be a long one and was inevitably going to lead to confusion with scary prospects. But today was the first Tuesday which hasn’t been filled with dread, but actually real excitement for what is in store.

I’ve written previously about how my vocation is teaching, but that there is something more to it than that. Today I got a sense of what that was. This evening we read the story of John the Baptist baptising Jesus. We week focussing on Jesus rather than John the Baptist. Within the translation we read John objected to Jesus request to be baptised but Jesus said ‘just do it, Gods work over all these years is coming together right now in this baptism.’! In that instance you had John preparing the way for God the father speaking over God the son, with God the spirit as a dove! The coming together of the trinity!

I’ve really been challenged about how my roles in school, in church, as a wife, a daughter, sister, aunty, friend, and many others, come together. And I think this is going to be something I explore.

I know that I’m a very open person and I will tell my husband all about my day, teachers and pupils know about him. The pupils know an awful lot about me. But just because they know about things that are happening in other aspects of my life, does that mean that the different elements/roles necessarily are cohesive? 

I’m not sure? I think my life is compartmentalised, but that the different compartments need to come together somehow! 

When I first started writing this blog I was writing about how my lifestyle was holistic, but that was in terms of eating, exercise, health etc… But. I now think it is something that I need to take to my whole life.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand there are boundaries and that there needs to be a separation of work and life. I know, for example, that I will not be getting involved in the children’s and youth work at church. But even with boundaries they can still influence each other.

I’ve been amazed at the response I’ve had to my blog, and my apparently good writing, and I’m now stating to work out how I can integrate that into school and church life. I think I’ve always been aware that my faith needs to be an important part of my life, but I’ve never thought about it being the other way, that life is an important part of my faith.

So integration, the coming together right now of my whole life. The holistic nature of my eating/exercising etc has changed my life so that it is virtually irrecognisable. Imagine what can happen if my whole if becomes holistic – exciting times ahead!