"Resistance is always an invitation from the Spirit. Pay attention to it. Honor it." And, of course, the resistance can arise in the director, the directee, or both. For example:

On Monday, I checked my e-mail for the first time since arriving on campus Sunday morning. I sat in a chair in the computer lab adjacent to Geneva Terrace, and jiggled the mouse to activate the computer screen. Sunlight poured through the windows. It was a glorious day. I typed in my user name and password as I have done countless times. But when I clicked "enter" to open my account, I felt a sudden construction in my upper chest. I paused and thought, "whoa." My body was trying to tell me something. I took a slow, deep breathe, then exhaled rapidly. I stopped for a moment to center myself before proceeding to read and respond to the messages in my inbox.

As I have reflected on this experience, I have gleaned at least two possible lessons:

(1) In general, check e-mail more mindfully. To help myself be fully present to both e-mail and other daily tasks, I am going to uninstall yahoo messenger and check e-mail no more than once an hour -- not just whenever one arrives.

(2) For next January, I am considering setting up an e-mail auto-response message that would instruct anyone who e-mailed me to call the church office in case of an emergency -- so that I will not have to check e-mail for the entire three weeks I am here. My blog and cell phone will be my only links to the outside world.