A good family friend of ours is becoming a priest this spring. I am very very happy for him! However, I was surprised to get a voicemail asking me if I would be interested in helping plan his ordination events. Keep in mind, I've known this guy for my whole life. He's a close friend of the family, but I can't say he's a close personal friend. He and I don't keep in touch or hang out or anything. But we have history. Deep family history. And then I got this voicemail asking if I would be interested in helping to plan his ordination reception and events.
Um. I was floored. Why me? Then I thought of my dad, who keeps in very close touch with this friend, and suddenly this smelled of KC. I called to berate him and he said it was the lovely deacon's idea. "Reenie is good at organizing. Maybe I'll give her a call." Still fishy if you ask me, but what can you do?
So back to that voicemail. I listened to it twice and groaned. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the minute I returned that call, I'd say yes to something -- and probably more than I can really handle right now. Heck, I can't really handle my own life lately, why on earth would I sign up to help someone else? And yet... I knew that the second I talked to him it would be over. I would be signed up.
So I put it off. And was out late a few evenings. And nearly forgot. Until that second voicemail, asking me if I'd be interested in helping plan his ordination events. Oh boy. So I waited 3 more days. And made the fateful phone call.
It was like watching a train wreck about to happen. I started the conversation saying that I was working really hard to not overcommit my life right how. He agreed, "great, yeah, sounds great." And heard myself agree to consider being the "head organizer." Not just on the team, but sure, why not... NO11 FAIL.
HOWEVER, I will give myself like 1/100th of a point because when he emailed to confirm the next step, I said I thought I should wait until after the committee meeting to actually commit to being the lead organizer since then I would know what I was getting into.
Okay, who am I kidding, I won't be able to say no face to face any easier than on the phone. NO11 FAIL.
2 comments:
This is why I love email as a form of communication. So much easier to set forth your thoughts without being unduly swayed by someone else.
Of course, you *would* make an awesome organizer, whereas I couldn't organize my way out of a paper bag. Maybe we just need to handicap your mad skillz somehow... ;-)
Gotta say, I'm with Kate on this one. Email. Think of it as a baby-step (more than 1/100th of a step) in giving you the power to say (and stick to) "no." And, if you feel like there is something - some DOABLE thing - that you can say "yes" to it's a cut-n-dried email saying as much.
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