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.
"You're getting older. Your journey's been etched on your skin." James Blunt & Mark Batson, 1973, All the Lost Souls. The first time I heard this song, it made me stop and think about my life and my own journey. What all has been etched on my skin? What is still waiting to be etched? This blog is about the Traveling Hillbilly's journey. Please travel along and share your own journey. There's no better way to learn about life, about others, about ourselves, than by traveling the globe.
Friday, August 11, 2017
And just like that, the Summer Sabbatical Ends
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.
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.
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