Travel

The previous mention of vacation (holiday) has me thinking. And I know my talking about going on a vacation may seem odd having just got back from the UK but I really have the yen to travel and see something new or experience a different culture. The UK was, and is always, fun and a going home experience but it is also tinged with obligation and craziness in trying to fit in seeing as many people as possible.

I am a late starter with travel but have really learned to love it. The little travelling I have done has allowed me to visit a few different places and often it is the people you meet that make the difference. The smile and support you sometimes get when trying to speak someones language (albeit butchering it along the way) is incredibly rewarding. Don't get me wrong there are equally folks out there who will not be helpful, interested or engaged but the good times outweigh the bad and the bad often gives you something to laugh about later.

The thought and planning around travelling is almost as fun and therapeutic as the trip itself. I am not sure what that says about me and I am not going to look at that too closely, for now.

So perhaps a side project to pique my interest when time allows.

Note: The attached photo is from a trip to Amsterdam with my wife when we took my brothers-in-law on their first major trip abroad.

TIOT

Recharge

I feel exhausted at the moment, beaten down by the nature of my current day to day existence. No way to feel or live especially as I am not sure how to get out of the unhealthy and unproductive rhythm. There is a simple answer to this, if I quit everything, but this does not fit with my paying the bills! So I need a change but work will not differ in the near future as won't the turmoil that is currently my home life.

So my challenge is how to recharge on the fly: a vacation, a new goal, something new to learn, exercise, all of the aforementioned, etc. And to do this while working towards a more ultimate goal of a calmer and more enjoyable life pattern.

Maybe I can I combine the vacation, new goal and learning thing...but perhaps I am overstretching and over complicating things. A common factor here, trying to cram a quart into a pint pot.

The key has to be to start simple and then build things out. So where to start, suggestions welcome.

TIOT

Back ...

Back to blogging, back from a trip to see family and back to work.

My blogging has been thin on the ground as I have found time difficult to find between work and home as both have been complicated of late. I don't see either of those changing so I will be doing the best I can here which comes down to being a bit better organised.

I am also just back from a week in the UK which was fun but extremely hectic and tiring. I spent the week chasing down family members and hanging out with them plus visiting a couple of friends. It was great to see folks and catch up on news and views but there was a degree of family politics plus dealing with the issues that have arisen around my Mum's health issues.

And now I am back to work which is like putting on an itchy and uncomfortable coat.

Finding a path through the various issues that life presents is something I struggle with every day. I am sure I am not the only one and I envy those who seem to make it look easy and keep a positive demeanor.

Envy is a strong word but likely apt as I wonder and wish I could manage it and make life a little more effortless or at the very least seem so.

Enough self flagellation for today though...just nice to be back in the blogging groove.

TIOT