Forty Nine

As I near the end of week 48 I am just getting around to writing about week 49.  That ought to be a clue.  I am really, really busy.   I guess I underestimated the work it would take to be part of this new organization, having been in my old position for practically a lifetime.   But it's all good.  At this point in life you pretty much know what is fun and interesting. I realized a long time ago that new challenges are a requirement for me.  Is there such a thing as career ADD?

Last week, (that would be #49) was different  mostly because I was working from home.  Sure, I've "worked from home" before.  (Often on those days that we used to reserve for being home sick.)  These days it is pretty easy to be very effective from home.  But this was the first time that my whole week, and hopefully about 50% of the year, was spent working virtually.

I couldn't have picked a better week if I tried.  Yes, we all expect cold weather in this part of town in the winter but it was a particularly frigid week even by our standards.   There is absolutely nothing wrong with a commute that involves walking in my slippers from the kitchen to the upstairs home office.  It was great.  I'm pretty sure our 10 year old golden retriever was as big a fan of it as I was, not that it was a significant change to his routine.  He doesn't often have someone to settle in near during the day, but I'm pretty sure his 6 hour nap is a standing item on his daily calendar.

This will take some getting used to (but it sure won't be hard to adjust!).  I discovered I need the discipline of getting the same morning start.  I can't see myself working in my pj's.   But overall, the technology makes it pretty seamless   Yeah, I missed the casual interactions, but skype (again, that is a pj free zone), office communicator, and webex meetings are pretty easy to use no matter where your office chair resides.   As people get to know me in the agency, I'm sure my physical location at the moment will be a non-issue.

Oh, and having the whole week home after 2 weeks on the road was simply awesome.  I always thought that in general I had a great appreciation for the comforts of home, not the least of which is the company of my dear wife.  But substitute 2 weeks living from a suitcase, even in a pretty nice hotel room, and it's easy to notice all those little things in life.    So as a public service announcement, whether you are home every night or a frequent traveler, make sure you take a moment to tell those people in your life that you notice that they make the difference between having a house and having a 'home' .   Hmmm, maybe I better call my favorite florist for a home delivery....