Guess what? I’m back in the trenches.
Holidays are over, and it’s time to get back to work and head to the end of this year.
Almost a month has passed since my last update on this blog, and it’s time to start writing again.
A few highlights:
- I didn’t even turn on my personal computer while I was on vacation. It might not have been the smartest choice, but I managed to completely zone out from the world of work and just focus on family and friends. It felt great.
- I was able to connect with my children easier than before. I felt less need to be “right” and more able to listen. Most of my conversations went deeper and were more interesting than previous conversations.
- I read 17 books, each representing a different genre, and none were business related.
- The best things I got from this vacation could not be paid for with money. The sand under my feet was rust-colored and smelled of salt and seaweed. The wind crashed against my face, cold and smelling of the sea. Wisps of clouds flitted past the peaks of the Dolomiti mountains. The sun shone on them, turning them golden-yellow. My children laughed as they ran ahead of me, footsteps sounding on the stony path up to the house. I laughed together as I chased after them. And then we stopped, sitting on a bench outside our hotel, watching them breathe. We talked about everything – about the school, our interests, and what we wanted for the future.
- I never used cash. Every place had a POS, finally. I guess I was just lucky, but it was great.
- I have a million new ideas that are popping up in my head, and I will need to make time to write them down. I will need to find a way to put my thoughts into words and nudge them, at first gently and then with a plan and then with a deadline, but I am excited about the prospect of going on this adventure and creating something new. I would love to take on this challenge.
- Each day, I read at least two newspapers. Truth said, it was highly depressing.
- I filled my Paper Republic notebook with story after story. I drew pictures of characters in the pages’ margins, flowers, birds, and boats. I wrote a lot, but only in my Paper Republic notebook; using pen and paper helps me remember stories.
- Doing nothing was an art, and you could not improvise. It had to be cultivated like a garden over the course of years. Doing nothing was a skill. You could get better at it. I had mastered it during these dreary holidays, in which I did nothing.
I can say this was an analog vacation, and I enjoyed it very much. Digital only came to a place to stay in touch with people I care (a lot) about. Nothing else.
The next few months will be challenging, and I will need to work hard to close this year with flying colors. I feel we will need to take a step forward with the organization. I am ready to take on the challenge.
And now, it’s about time to open my work inbox and see what happened.