Resolutions (?) to Mind Rattlings

Saturday I wrote that I had several things rattling around in my mind.  So  . . .

Atheist friend debates
No more.  Say whatever you want to say however you want to say it, feel free to express yourself and share your opinion, but I'm not getting into it anymore.  I love you with all the love my loving heart has and always will have for you, but I will not talk about my faith in a defensive way anymore.

Bring Your Colleagues to Church Day
One colleague bowed out.  She was just getting back from a conference and was wiped.  She is still interested in coming.  The other, having been raised with no religious background whatsoever came and was enveloped in the eager friendliness of church folk.  "Why do you call each other brother and sister?"  "Why do people raise their hands?"  "Does that overwhelming worship thing only happen to women?" "Is there like a channeling thing going on when people touch other people while they're praying?"  It was so refreshing to hear these questions.  It's important for believers to consider things from the perspective of someone who is not church conditioned. It's so easy for us to remain in our bubble of church culture while forgetting that our whole purpose is to be accessible to people outside of that culture.

Intra-departmental coffee chats
To be honest, I was surprised by the invitation (I didn't tell him that), but it was a nice gesture, so I took him up on it.  We went to a spot I'd never been to before, right in front of my face, and I've been here going on three years.  After ordering, the dreaded question: "Is this together or separate?"  If there's one question I could obliterate from the world, it would be that one.  It's so loaded with societal pressure and awkwardness. As a woman, I do not want a man to think I automatically expect him to pick up the tab because he's a man (because I don't.  Especially since we're all grad students here), but I always hesitate a second before saying "it's separate" because I don't want to communicate brusqueness.  I take out my wallet to show that I am poised to pay, and if more than a second goes by after the dreaded question is asked, I'll speak up.  In this case, traditional gender roles won out.  How sweet (?)  Anyway, we had a nice chat and it was totally fine.  I was feeling like a weirdo about it at first.

Comps deadline
Ah.  There will be no resolution until I reach the end.  Gotta keep on keepin' on.  That's what I've resolved.  Gotta keep on keepin' on.