September is such a special month. The air is so pure and the colours are emerging from the trees, the cracking of leaves below your feet and the chatter of children in the school yard are a feast for the eyes, ears and the soul. There is nothing like taking a walk this time of year or sitting outside, coffee in hand, and letting your senses be immersed by the sounds and delights of the transition to fall. If only the sun could stay around a bit longer, rather than hiding longer every day that goes by.
September has been a whirlwind for me this year. It started with a week of holiday in Puerto Rico and Toronto with my kids, followed by a week at home getting better from Covid. Note to self and to everyone, do not let anyone go to a wedding before going on holidays!
It was weird to go back into confinement. I have been lucky over recent years as I hadn’t been sick in over 3 years. Fortunately, I got better after a few days, but was still testing positive for many days afterwards. I must admit, I got flashbacks from the pandemic where we were all self-isolating and walking around with masks. It made me realise that we tend to under estimate the mental impact that this isolation had on us, at least I do.
My week of Covid was, however, excellent for my creativity and for making progress on a number of projects. For the past six months, I have been working on developing a project that will marry environmental concerns and art - I am very excited about it and will be announcing it soon.
I have been on my leave without pay from the Canadian Federal Public Service for 6 months now and I had told myself that at the six-month mark, I would assess where I am and where I want to go. This reflection is going to evolve over the next little while but here are my initial thoughts
- Moving from my senior management job was one of the best decisions that I ever made. I realised over the last six months that the last time I was having fun at work was in 2018. Can you imagine!? That was a depressing thought to have.
- I am happy, probably the happiest I have been in a long time. I am increasingly aligned with my purpose and authentic self in terms of what I am doing and how I am living my life
- When I wake up early in the morning, I actually look forward to my day - needless to say it was not the case six months or a year ago.
- You actually only spend what you have - my quality of life has actually increased during this period, having greater freedom and focusing of what matters most for me.
- I still do not know where I am going professionally over the long term and I am ok with that . I am focusing on the here and now and on my projects. I am completely open to what they will bring me. And whatever else will come my way.
So here’s is to the next six months - I can’t wait to see what they will bring!