Thirdly Report

by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 04/30/10 at 9:52 am

Day 120

Four months? Could I possibly have been on sabbatical for four months already?

I scroll through earlier posts just to see what the heck I have been doing with myself all this time and it reinforces the benefits of journaling, even when one is not on sabbatical. Maybe this season’s people will be able to review their social networking communication to remember the days of their lives.

In the past four months I have made myself proud and I have let myself down. At the same time, I’m somehow managing to be an observer of all this, without judgment. I notice that when I keep a longstanding “work” commitment that I am rusty. My skills aren’t sharp. I’m out of practice. I’ve delegated so much and stepped back so far that when I try to re-enter the arena, I’m blinded by the light and not able to engage fully.

And I’m out of the habit of …I don’t know how to put it. Caring? Being involved? Having a dog in that fight? Giving a ___? I feel much more like an observer of everything and much less a participant in anything.

The sun is shining, the tropical breeze is blowing, and I’m going for a walk on the beach.

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Today in Nashville, the life of civic heroine Sigourney Cheek will be celebrated. She was one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever met. She did so much for Middle Tennessee, and she was beloved. Take a moment to read her obituary, and take a moment to smell the flowers. She always did.