good response to the moment (see previous post)

Elrond tells the Fellowship: "The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." (Lord of the Rings, as quoted in John Ortberg)

Loved Ortberg's piece on calling, courtesy of Paul! I generally like Ortberg's other writing as well, and I think it's because he was also trained as a counselor. Those of his books that I have read help breakdown unhelpful beliefs with clarity, humor, and grace. Work in the past week was tough but it was also a lot more enjoyable except for the few moments when I sank back into the slough of despair. But those moments came a lot more infrequently and did not last as long.

HK is going through an unusually cold winter. It's not as bad as some of the other places in which I've lived but still, I'm not enjoying it too much and I hope it passes soon.

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Update

I've been having random conversations with a couple of colleagues and I guess I should be glad to find out that I'm not the only one who feels a little crazy in this institution.