Not Out, Just Otherwise Engaged
I don't understand why some circumstances allow me to work more efficiently than others.
For instance, when I'm working on the final 'put it all together' part of a sermon, I can often do it better while driving down the interstate. All those key points need some kind of order, and interstate driving allows me to toss all the ideas into the air and have them fall into place. I'm driving along in my own little world, amidst constant motion.
Another place I've found that's good for putting a zillion ideas into proper order is the hospital waiting room. When you're awaiting the completion of a friend's surgery, it seems time stands still. You don't know exactly when the doctor will be finished, so you must try to forget about the clock. When you are not conscious of the passing minutes, it clears a space in your mind to toss around ideas, makes no difference how much chatter is going on around you. Sometimes I've done the equivalent of five hours of work in just one hour in this 'lost world.'
A coffee shop will sometimes work in the same way, but not always. A room in the house that I don't usually sit in does not seem to work. Somehow what I need is a 'safe place' or sanctuary in the midst of alot of chatter or noise.
Wait. Maybe that's a clue. It's akin to how a church service is a sanctuary in the midst of a noisy world. It's a safe place to put the pieces of your life together.
There is something inside each of us that is looking for sanctuary.
