Friday, August 11, 2017

And just like that, the Summer Sabbatical Ends

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone.  I have never given myself this kind of a break before.   Any worries I had about potentially getting bored with this much time off, were quickly gone.   I wish I could extend it until the end of the year. It would be wonderful to watch the season change and welcome the first snow of the year up here on the mountain.   But I guess that is not to be.  It's time to leave my little cocoon and go back to the real world, go back to work.

It has been a time of reflection and a great opportunity to recharge.   I just can't believe how fast the time flew.   I've only known a couple of people that work for companies that actually offer sabbaticals as part of their employee package.   It should be many more.  I realize there is a significant cost to companies to give an employee that much extended time off.  However, in the long run, I think the cost would pan out.  I believe it would increase retention rate and overall productivity.

It has been an amazing summer for me and something I hope to do again in the future!   Now I have to worry about how the dogs are going to adjust to my going back to work.  They've grown used to having me around all the time and I've enjoyed spending all day with them.


Thursday, July 6, 2017

Walking A Mile in My Shoes



Weeks 2 and 3

Well it’s not quite a month into the summer sabbatical, but I’m finally feeling healthy.     It took me much longer to recover than I had expected.   But I’m finally getting in those morning hikes!   My sister came out to visit for a week and we walked/hiked every day.   I discovered a lot of new places and explored the area like I’ve never had time to before.    Who knew there was a beautiful lake, with a great hiking trail just 4 minutes from my house?    There are actually a couple of beautiful lakes with multiple hiking and biking trails within just a few miles of the house.   We spent almost every day exploring a new trail.   We got in over 90,000 steps and walked almost 40 miles in the days she was here, averaging over 15,000 steps a day.    I think we actually wore the dogs out!   They slept for 2 days straight after she left.

I continue to start the morning with a nice walk/hike but am not getting as much mileage in as before.   The sun is up here well before 6am, and it’s always so cool in the mornings.  It makes you want to jump right up and get out and enjoy the beautiful morning. 

I’m sitting on the deck, with my morning coffee as I write this, enjoying this beautiful view.  How can one not be inspired and at peace?
 
 

 

Summer Sabbatical - Week 1

I have worked non-stop pretty much since I was about 13 years old.   I worked full-time during college and have pretty much worked non-stop since then, with the exception of a week or two of vacation here or there.  For those of you that read the blog, you know I've had some AMAZING trips, so I'm not complaining.  I just thought it was time to give myself a break, reassess my goals, my dreams and determine, what's next.   So after much consideration, I decided to take the summer off.  

The plan was to head to the mountains of New Mexico.    New Mexico is one of my favorite places.   I dreamt of sitting on the deck, with a beautiful view overlooking the mountains and writing in my blog as I sipped my morning coffee.  I was ready for this slower pace and potentially life of leisure.


So what happens just two days after my last day at work?  I wake up really sick.   I wake up with chills, a fever and an incredibly sore throat.     It’s like the minute you allow yourself to slow down, it all catches up with you.  Like it’s just been waiting for you to stop so it can grab hold and settle in!

I had said, I wanted to take enough time off that I would be able to have days where I did absolutely nothing.   I wanted to be able to spend a whole day reading and not feel guilty.  I wanted to have days where I never even left the house.   Well I got my wish.   I got to spend the whole first week of my sabbatical pretty much doing nothing.  I was either laying on my couch or in my bed for days.   Luckily I had my faithful hounds to keep me company and a Netflix subscription to keep me occupied when I was actually awake.

Now that I’m finally on the path to recovery, I can’t wait to see how week two of my Sabbatical goes.  I’m hoping to get started on a new routine.   Starting my mornings with a nice hike with the hounds, followed up with some blog writing     I feel like I’ll need a few weeks just to adjust to a new slower pace.  Time to clear my head and make space for new thoughts, ideas to come in.