Practice makes perfect

I woke up the other day to Radio 4, which was explaining how ten thousand hours practice will make the difference between (a) just fumbling around and (b) developing an ability which seems completely out of this world. It was a compelling argument: practice makes perfect, indeed, and in a very quantified sense. Reminds me of how I used to play the violin when I was young; too lazy to practice properly, and then I'd see others just pick up the instrument and do something magical with it. "Practice", they'd tell me, "that's all there is to it". I'm afraid laziness beat practice for me, and I never got far.

Probably practice makes churchwardening perfect, though 10000 hours at an hour a week is around 200 years, so I don't expect ever to attain world-class competitiveness. I'm down to warden the 1100 service tomorrow. It should be easier than the last time, since there is no special service. On the other hand it's my first solo flight, and I will be keenly observed by the Ones Who Know What Should be Done, all the ex-wardens. Kindly observation, I'm sure, but observation which will notice the timing, and the lack of timing, and whether I do a Baldrick and have to run from the wrong end of the church to the right end, while the organ plays, and the choir processes, and the servers serve. Better review the set of notes on how to do it, while I still have time. 

The service immediately before the 1100, the 0930, plans to finish early so we can all come out and cheer on the runners in the Coventry Half Marathon. It's the right thing to do. We're all in this together, seeking the good of our city, and it's good to share in our commonwealth. Cities need their people to look to the good of the city as if by a reflex, because together we can prosper, together we can face the challenges. So we'll be practicing that reflex, around 1000 tomorrow.

And it seems likely that next year will be a challenge. I'm doing the prayers as well as the wardening at the 1100 tomorrow (because one of the things about wardening is, you're the one to fill the gaps if needed), and I expect to be praying for the good of the city. If it's a challenging year, then it's also a wake-up call, to realize that together with God we can be stronger and more resilient than we could ever possibly hope to be on our own.

Easy to say this before the challenge. Harder to practice it when the pressure is on, harder to keep on watching out for each other when things get tough, harder to keep on keeping on keeping the faith 24/7. But practice is the thing. And ten thousand hours is only a little bit more than eight months; time enough to make a difference.