I’m back! Some of you are thinking, “I wondered if you were ever going to post again!” Others are thinking, “Gee, I guess I haven’t seen a post from you in a while!” A not-insignificant-number are thinking, “Am I still subscribed to this site?” Regardless, I am going to assume that you all are thrilled to get a blog post from me again, just as I am thrilled to be writing again, and Trish is (sort of) thrilled to be editing again. My last post was way back in January of this year on my Five Year Blogiversary. In it, I hinted that I might be taking a break from posting since I had felt my writing had become…stale. I needed to rethink what I wanted to accomplish. Then life happened. SO MUCH has happened over the last nine months! Over time, I will fill you in, but we’ll start small.

Let’s start with the message from the Universe that got me to sit down at the keyboard again. I was in the airport almost two weeks ago, heading down to Atlanta (more on that in a bit). I was in that scrum of people that forms around the gate when they make the preboard announcements and I had just maneuvered myself into position to be first in line for Group 4. I heard a familiar voice and turned around to see one of my all-time favorite co-workers from my Air Products days behind me, talking on his phone. I leaned over, smiling, and caught his eye. Between waiting to board and then wandering down to baggage claim in Atlanta, Ron and I had a few minutes to catch up. It was so wonderful to see him! We hadn’t crossed paths in at least 10 years. Ron is one of those people who was always a joy to be around. We caught up on work (he is actually retiring and was on his “farewell tour” to see key customers). We caught up on his kids (he now has an adorable toddler granddaughter). And I was treated to a classic Ron “Dad joke” (“Two of my sons are actuaries! What are the odds?!”). Then he said something to me that I was not expecting: “I haven’t seen a blog post from you in ages! Why aren’t you writing? I looked forward to those posts. It’s how I stayed connected with you.”

There are so many reasons why I write. I write to get thoughts organized in my head and then out of my head. I simply find the process enjoyable. When I read something I’ve written and pronounce it “good,” that is very satisfying. I started the blog to capture the myriad coaching lessons I had absorbed over my professional years and that I imparted to those younger who might benefit from that experience. As I finished capturing those thoughts in a range of posts, the blog evolved to more broad thinking about life, although almost every “life lesson” can be applied in a work environment and vice-versa. And, I realize, I write to connect. I write to share a bit of myself with others; to receive a bit from others as they share thoughts and comments back with me; and, in some little way, to stay connected with a bunch of people with whom I’ve crossed paths over the years. I have found that connection of all sorts becomes more and more important as you get older, so whatever I can do to maintain and build community and connection has increasingly become a focus in my life. So, I’m writing again because I want that connection. I will write when I have something to say and post when I believe the writing is solid enough to share. I resolve to be a little lighter in presentation, since laughing (or at least chuckling) makes anything more enjoyable.

What do I have to say today? Well, I want to share with you what the last six weeks of my life have been like. More specifically, I want to share some thoughts on what I’ve learned from that time. From July 21 (when I left home for a trip to Atlanta) to August 31 (when I finally put my suitcase away), I have spent only six days at home. That time period included:

• An initial one week trip to Atlanta
• An 18 day journey from Vancouver to a cruise in and around Alaska
• A second, 10 day trip to Atlanta to be there for my Mom’s major surgery (she is, thankfully, doing great!)
• A head cold
• My first bout with COVID
• And a sinus infection (bonus visit to Urgent Care in Atlanta)

What have I learned?

• Obvious observation: I can no longer travel as well as I used to travel. I caught the head cold on the way back from that first trip to Atlanta. I was not over it when I came down with COVID on the cruise. I was barely functional on my second trip to Atlanta, staying masked 12 hours a day which probably led to the sinus infection.
• Everyone around me has learned The Second Rule of Sherri: If Sherri is miserable, everyone is miserable. I am not proud of this behavior. When I finally stopped feeling like I was swallowing shards of glass and apologized to my travel mates in Anchorage, no one argued with me that I’d been a pain the ass. My dear sister had to not only deal with the stress of Mom’s surgery, but take me to CVS four times, Urgent Care once, and then deal with me complaining, coughing, and snorting 24/7. She deserves a medal. Trish’s suffering was further compounded by getting COVID from me. (The First Rule of Sherri, by the way, is: Feed Sherri on time and at regular intervals. That’s for another essay.)
• The bears in Alaska must be a myth because we saw no bears, save for one humongous one in a wildlife reserve. Ditto for moose.
• These challenges are always sent to you for a reason. I believe the reason for this trial was to push me out of my comfort zone and back into action. I had gotten too consumed by completing my Daily Challenges in on-line solitaire, Spider solitaire, Sudoku, and a tile matching game. I think I need a little more out of life.

Checking in on line for the final flight home, American offered me an upgrade to First Class for $69. Was there a question in there? As I settled into my seat, I thought about breaking my “no drinking” rule while flying, then I remembered I’m on antibiotics for the sinusitis and shouldn’t drink. As I sipped my vodka/cranberry, I noticed that I had slipped into a kind of numbness. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, yet I was feeling good about Mom’s recovery and allowed myself to remember all the GOOD parts of the vacation (of which there were many). These last six weeks were surely a test—as well as a kick in the pants to get moving again. I have so much to tell you about! This essay is a good start. More to come.