Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A much needed breather




Pant, pant, pant. --The sound of the caged animal, catching its breath.

After over two years of what seemed to be a constant back-logs of clients, working many weekends, taking artwork and computers with me on vacation, etc., things have finally calmed down a little. Over the past few weeks, work has entailed 7 or 8-hour days instead of 10-12. I don't know if it's summer break for some of my clients or just a lull, but I'll take it.

So, with that extra time, I have been able to devote a little more time to other things, (working in the yard, biking and swimming with my daughter, buying a new car & restoring an old one...and also creating a new website.)

Lastly, it was nice to take a vacation last week without having to work during some of it in the hotel room. My folks came out to Colorado for a visit, and then we went with them on a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks--an truly beautiful area where we boated, water skied, tubed, etc. In addition to being a chance to relax and spend time with a few generations of family, it was lots of fun. (Julia spent probably six hours of every day in the several pools, water slides, etc. at the resort...literally wrinkled like a raisin when I dragged her out to go to dinner, etc.)

I always come back from vacations feeling glad that I took them. I feel refreshed and ready to go, I'm more efficient, all of the things for which vacations are intended. But as silly as it sounds, I dread getting prepared to take them, as I do not want to interrupt my regular routine. It always seems like I have something to do here, and I feel like I'm behind schedule when I return. It's also hard to get into the 'vacation mindset' at first and let go of the magnetic grip that my work and studio have upon me. Same for you?

Fortunately this time I felt no guilt about going and came home with a broad smile on my face.

Which leads to one final note before signing off...

I have a powerful desire for a balanced life. (Most people I know share that pursuit.) Yet, everyone I know is busier now than they were five years ago or even two years ago...and much of that comes from technology and connectivity. I do not want my life reduced to a blizzard of snippets and snapshots on a blog, Twitter account or Facebook page. The maintenance of such things can be like walking against a gale force wind. You never get ahead of it and it is always there waiting for more.

And with that, my apologies for not making typical or regular blog or twitter posts, or Facebook entries for friends and family. Instead, I plan to start spending some more time here with two or three creative outlets purely designed for fun. (More on that soon.)

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