Much time yesterday filling in the forms for my Ministry Development Review, a step in the diocesan system for keeping an eye on clergy wellness and effectiveness. My quibbling mind and my forms-phobia combine to make me resist this sort of exercise with every neuron and every (whatever the constituent elements of ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’ might be, or are they monads in the end after all? This just illustrates the sort of reason I struggle with HR ‘wellness’ and ‘effectiveness’ discourse) thingummybob in my holistic self. I understand that this system provides a functional process for the expansive bureaucracy to fulfil a record-keeping, multidimensional standardised need to keep an eye on clergy. I will learn how it actually plays out as the process unfolds. Of course, this is also probably the only MDR I’ll ever go through, after 39 years of ordained ministry and with only another year or so before I retire therefrom.
This morning’s run was appreciably faster than yesterday’s, but (a) breathing was shallower (I tried to diaphragm-breathe, but at the pace at which I was running my lungs demanded faster breathing) and (b) I don’t remember what I was going to say for (b). A good run, anyway, within the general span of post-holiday workouts. Coffee, fruit, clean-up, Morning Prayer, and then back to my MDR form.