Weekend Away

For awhile there it looked like our long weekend plans were going to have to be shelved when my older dog got really sick Wednesday night. By Friday she still wasn't doing too well and we were attending to her according to the vet's recommendations but weren't too hopeful we could escape for the weekend since we knew we couldn't realistically throw a sick dog into the boarding facility even though it is an amazing facility and they take incredible care of our dogs. Then our amazing friends who had organized the entire weekend invited us to bring the dogs along so we did - although we were very worried that the dogs would be a nuisance. Though we're nuts about our dogs, we realize that not everyone feels the same way about a) our dogs and/or b) dogs in general and told both dogs on the way up that they had to be on their best behavior otherwise they were going to sleep in the car during the weekend. Apparently they took the threats to heart because they even surprised us with how well behaved they were.

The weekend away was just what we needed. My better half and I can definitely become slaves to our routines so shaking things up for the weekend was a fantastic reminder that we do need to get out of our normal day lives from time to time. We went up to Winthrop in the north Cascades to a house that friends of ours had bid on at an auction. It was our first time in that section of Washington and I was stunned by how beautiful it was. Truly an amazing part of the country made only better by good friends, great food, lots of wine, and lots of outdoor activity. The activity also knocked out the dogs (another explanation for their good behavior) so they'd crash early in the evening but then wake up at 5am ready to go. Worried that their activity would wake up the others, hubby and I would take them out then for a long walk (it's very light that early in the morning in this neck of the woods this time of year) and we got to see all kinds of wildlife. It was also the best time of day to NOT see other kinds of wildlife as we learned - first hand - that the area also has a ton of rattlesnakes. Having done most of my hiking/backpacking in high mountain climates I know all about what to do when face to face with a bear or a mountain lion but know absolutely nothing about snakes other than the cold fear that takes hold of my heart when I hear that infamous rattle.

So now that you have a recap on my weekend, what does this have to do with work? First of all, as mentioned above, it reminded me that we do need to get away on little weekend escapes from time to time. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive - camping is a perfect example - but something to take us out of our day-to-day. I blissfully did not think about work at all during the weekend and I can't tell you how refreshed I feel right now. Secondly though the weekend made me realize that I need to simplify my life. This weekend was all about taking joy in the very simple things in life. Walking, running, swimming, riding, good food, good friends, good wine. That's pretty much what it boiled down to and I can't tell you how happy I was. I love my work but there's a lot of extraneous worrying that I've been doing and subjecting myself to. For example, I'm part of a yahoo group of manufacturers in my industry and there's always some sort of drama going on over there. I need to keep checking the boards for information (such as retailers who are refusing to pay manufacturers so I make sure not to do business with them) but I need to detach myself from it and not let a lot of the other angst that goes on over there bother me. So from now on, skim the subject headings and just read the threads that are truly relevant to where I am in my business.

This weekend also helped me realize that I need to extricate myself from the nonprofit Board I'm on. I hate hate HATE feeling like I'm quitting something but I've been struggling with the fact that I'm not sure it's my highest and best use right now. And I'm not sure I'm necessarily adding a substantial amount of value to the organization given that everything I've worked on for the last six months has basically fallen apart for one reason or another (though not because of lack of trying or work). I'm thinking that it may be better for me to volunteer at that organization or another similar one to, for example, go in and do some of the menial chores they need help with or help organize paperwork, rather than being on the board. Now I just have to figure out the best way to remove myself without pissing anyone off.