Today's Live Frog

[resonant]

My church committee assigned me to make a phone call, and for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture*, I was dreading it horribly. It was casting a shadow over my entire life -- did you ever have something like this? Where procrastinating about this one thing begins to occupy so much of your energy that all your other priorities get thrown out of whack?

Anyway, today I suddenly thought of that poster you used to see in the seventies that said, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you all day long." So I decided that when I went home, I was immediately going to do the ugliest thing on my to-do list, and then everything else would seem easy.

Of course, in fiction this would work out better than it did in real life, because in real life all I did was leave an answering machine message. But hey. Contact is made, and I feel better.

Tomorrow's Live Frog is yet another church-related phone call. We grumpy antisocial people really should just be atheists.

* "Hi, we haven't seen you at church for a while, and we wanted to touch base and invite you to our Halloween lunch/craft festival." I still haven't decided whether I hate this because it's genuinely creepy and intrusive, or whether I just hate it because I'm an introvert.

Comments

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

I still haven't decided whether I hate this because it's genuinely creepy and intrusive, or whether I just hate it because I'm an introvert.

Why can't it be both?

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

You should have heard the original assignment. The words "build a relationship" were used, and I heroically refrained from saying, "That's not a relationship, except if you're using the word the way used car dealers use it."

[sighs] The committee is mostly elderly widows; I have to keep reminding myself that they don't share my attitude toward socializing that I don't initiate or at least consent to.

[amireal.livejournal.com]

See I think it all depends on the intention. Because churches (and a lot of other religious institutions) do end up being self help style organizers. If it really is in the realm of making sure people are alright and healthy and getting social interaction then I say it's a mite intrusive but not a bad thought.

If it's because they want money and to save your soul so to speak (and that's a horrible phrase to use and I appologize) or something. Then yeah creepy.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Actually I think the committee's reasoning is, OMG, these people are young! We can't lose the young people! Make sure the young people stay!

[amireal.livejournal.com]

Heh. There is that and retention of younger members is always a big deal. It wouldn't bother ME horribly but I grew up with fundraising parents so I've seen it from both ends.

[carol-t.livejournal.com]

I'm not too keen on churches, but I wouldn't mind a call - as long as it's just friendly asking.

Actually, I was a bit miffed, that when I moved, some sweets salesmen were faster than the local church to contact me, and unlike my "new" parish, they addressed me by name and showed real interest. I only learned which parish I officially belong to, by receiving forms for their upcoming elections (there might have been some non-personalized welcome-text, too).

Had they sent an invitation to some informal social gathering, I might have gone there, if only for curiosity and homemade cake. ;)

(If you'd left me a message I'd probably prefer written information with the time and place of the event.) Halloween at the church? Is this common practice?

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

[laughing] I think this is evidence that you need to belong to the Religion of Sweets. Give me a call when y'all have a potluck. I'll be there.

Halloween at the church? Is this common practice?

It is among churches that aren't afraid of (1) folk practices with pagan roots or (2) pretent witchcraft.

[evilprettykitty.livejournal.com]

This will most likely not help but we once got one of those calls and my mother had to tell the person that she had stopped going because they had fired the choir director for 20 years for no reason. BUT! It ended up being a nice conversation and then the church knew why she'd stopped going.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Wow, I suppose I knew that happened sometimes. I think usually people just kind of fade out because they're busy or whatever -- and I guess the committee's purpose is to make sure they're not fading out because they think nobody in the church knows them or cares whether they show up or not.

[evilprettykitty.livejournal.com]

Oh totally...it helped that the person making the call was some my mom knew. I think they were conserned too because my mom's family was one of the founding families of the church but they too wanted the yound people and were making changes that were pissing off the old memebers. I think when it is well meaning though, those phone calls are very well received.

[http://users.livejournal.com/tesserae_/]

We grumpy antisocial people really should just be atheists.

We eat our share of frogs in community associations...

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll start the Grumpy Antisocial Association. We'll schedule meetings just so all of us can have the pleasure of blowing them off and staying home instead.

[celandineb.livejournal.com]

We grumpy antisocial people really should just be atheists.

Well, I wouldn't say that's the best reason to be an atheist. *g*

Besides, as tesserae_ says, we get to eat frogs in other contexts.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately there are just trays and trays of frogs waiting to be eaten.

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

Well, it could be taken as sort of creepy because the church must be tracking these folks to know that they haven't come in awhile. But otoh, it could get them to come out if they were indecisive.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Before I sat in for the church secretary, I had no idea how closely this church tracks attendance! There's a form in the pew that you fill out every morning -- if you're a member you just put down your name, and then there's a place you can check that says, "I'd like to get a call from the pastor" -- and they actually record who was there every week.

It's not a creepy church, honestly! If it chose to become creepy, though, it certainly has the information and the tools.

[cricketk.livejournal.com]

I still haven't decided whether I hate this because it's genuinely creepy and intrusive, or whether I just hate it because I'm an introvert.

Once is OK. More than once is definitely starting to get creepy and intrusive.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Good to know. The committee actually wanted me to drop by and visit. I'm like: These people have two jobs and a 2-year-old. Trust me when I say they do not want a stranger dropping by!

[vass]

I still haven't decided whether I hate this because it's genuinely creepy and intrusive, or whether I just hate it because I'm an introvert.

It’s a nag, whether or not it’s creepy and intrusive.

Re frogs: we used to use that one on alt.recovery.clutter.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Rougher on the frogs, really, than on us. But frogs have this look to them like they expect horrible things to happen to them.

[carolyn-claire.livejournal.com]

It is creepy, and I never liked it. I understand the need for it, but it always felt intrusive, to me, and I'm speaking as someone who was there whenever the doors were open, and in ministry. I did plenty of drumming of my own, believe me, and it was the guilt that it can inspire in the recipient that bugged me so much, I think. Sort of, "Yeah, I haven't been in a while, and I just don't want to, and I don't want to tell you that." How awkward. People sometimes have good reasons for not attending, and sometimes they have no reason, but they're all their reasons, not mine, and not my business, really, and argh! *g* (I also don't care for churches where 'greeters' come at you, either before or after the service. They want to know too much about me! I'm just visiting! Aaaaargh! *g* I think I have introversion issues, too.

My frog today was a call to the athletic director of my girls' college to threaten him with NCAA notification on some issues concerning the eldest's gym team if these issues don't get addressed locally. Man, how much did I not want to do that. *sigh*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I felt a little better about this particular nag once I'd read the comments these folks left in the book -- something like "I like it here because everyone's so friendly and goes out of their way to get us involved!" This suggests extroverts.

What was the team doing that violated NCAA rules?

[byandby.livejournal.com]

We grumpy antisocial people really should just be atheists.

LOL. I find that approach works for me. :D

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I adore your icon.

[byandby.livejournal.com]

This is my most common feeling towards people. And enriana makes fantastic icons.

[copracat]

I'm kinda delightfully stuck on the mix of church and Halloween! From my own personal experience of procrastination and the molehill-to-mountain thing that procrastination promotes you're dreading it because you're an introvert. Inviting people to a party is a fun and good thing. I'd just rather not be the person responsible for doing it all the time, thanks!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Hey, normal churches aren't afraid of Halloween. It has very old Christian roots, though of course the pagan roots are still older. (Damned pagans beat us to everything.)

Inviting people to a party is a fun and good thing.

I like that attitude!

[lagreyeyes.livejournal.com]

It was casting a shadow over my entire life -- did you ever have something like this? Where procrastinating about this one thing begins to occupy so much of your energy that all your other priorities get thrown out of whack?

In a word, yes.

I'm a lead Sunday School teacher once a month (yeah, I was "invited" to volunteer *g*) and I agonize over the lesson plan and crafts at least two weeks prior. Sucks, truly it does. (The agonizing, not the Sunday School.)

But ye Gods - once it's finished, I'm in a great mood for the entire week!

Good luck with tomorrow's phone call! (Phones are NOT my friends. There is a damned good reason for answering machines...*laughs*)

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I know. I hate talking on the phone. I think I've lost some long-distance friends who could have remained in my life, just because I was perfectly willing to write or e-mail or visit but just couldn't enjoy the just-catching-up phone calls.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

I like the frog analogy. I have a total and utter procrastination problem, as you may know. Why am I typing into LJ, after all, when I should be (should be!!) finishing a review that was due in December 2005??? *wails*

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Whoa. See, my theory about things like that is, "If you ignore work for long enough, eventually it will go away." (One of many reasons not to follow my example.)

ewww

[quatre_k.livejournal.com]

OMG I hate calling people and basically asking them if they are alright and why haven't ou been in church that always seems to be my job too

Re: ewww

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

I hate calling people period -- I even hate calling people to tell them I have something nice for them.

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

Can you edit the message at all for greater accuracy? "Hi, I'm calling from church to invite you to a pagan festival!"

Sometimes I really do LOL!

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

If we took the pagan festivals out of church, there'd be nothing left! Anything remotely seasonal, the pagans had it first, leaving us with only holidays declared by government degree.