Making Lists

I'm well and truly into the list-making stage of preparations for my little jaunt to Sheffield on Tuesday. I've to-do lists for today, tomorrow and Monday, a reading list which is essentailly just reminders to finish the many half-read books on my bedside table, a list of what I will need to buy like a crossword book and acetates to print the picture or my presentation onto, and a list of what to pack including what I will be wearing on the train.

There's the train tickets to pick up, probably ought to do that before Monday unless I've accidentally booked an advance return to Shipley or Shrewsbury or Shimla instead of Sheffield, there's the biographies of the assessors to memorise, responses to questions I know I will be asked (like "why do you want to be a vicar?") to practice, and a trip to Morrisons to stock the fridge with healthy dinners my dearly-beloved can throw together in a jiffy.

I am an organised person. I like to be content that I have remembered everything and nothing is going to hit me unexpectedly. I like to prepare myself by thinking things through, what it will be like walking into the conference centre, how I will introduce myself to the other candidates, what I will say to the assessors as I walk into the interview rooms. So, of course, I have already formed images of all these things in my mind which will be nothing like the reality. I suppose there's nothing in life we can prepare for fully. It's just a case of going for it and giving it our best shot, which is what I intend to do.

I watched the Royal Wedding yesterday with a tear in my eye. The Bride looked beautiful, the Groom handsome, the music was perfect, and the roar from the crowd as they stepped out on the balcony gave me chills down my spine. On Thursday night I was amazed how many of the guests at Soup Evening were looking forward to watching the wedding on TVs in their hostels. Whatever you think of the Royal family, an event like that unites people, it reminds people from all walks of life of our common ground, that we are all citizens of this nation. I have friends and colleagues who have told me they would not be watching the wedding, and I think that's fine, but for me it was a very special occasion.