Schlepping

When we went to Columbus for General Convention in 2006, I had no idea what a blessing it was for Rudy to drive all our possessions to and from Columbus. The Big Blue Book, my computer, eleven days worth of clothing and assorted paraphernalia motored while I boarded the plane with nothing but my handbag. Talk about take nothing for the journey!

So today I have schlepped across country pulling my computer, all those convention documents and eleven days worth of clothing including my special feet don’t fail me now shoes through JFK and LAX. This being my lucky day, I managed to land at LAX and get on the freeway just when the memorial tribute to Michael Jackson was letting out and the throngs were trying to get on the same highway. One thing about me, I have that special knack to find traffic.

The official hotel of the Long Island delegation is the Marriott and I am finally all settled in. When I arrived in the lobby I had this overwhelming desire to conjugate schlep – I schlep, you schlep, he, she or it schleps - everybody was pulling a bag across the lobby and queuing up to get the room keys. We are here, it’s comfortable and the Convention Center is within spitting distance.

Tomorrow schlepping begins in earnest as I will collect my press credentials and head off to the first media briefing. After we get started, I won’t have time to wonder whether or not we really need an eleven day convention and if the model has out lived its usefulness so let me do it now. The other things I won’t have time to worry about is why if we want to be an inclusive community do we have conventions that are so hard on working people and so family un-friendly. Between time taken off for pre-convention meetings, synod meetings, diocesan meetings and the actual convention – what’s a working person to do? Well, that’s a rant for another day.

Tomorrow the great schlep begins and by the way – what did we do before wheels?