A long breath of fresh air!

Today was my first day back to work after Hong Kong. A two weeks’ vacation! (One week in Hong Kong, another week spent recovering from jet lag, unpacking, doing laundry, and reading Agatha Christie. Perfect!) It was just what I needed, and the trip (and its required cold-turkey break from email, blogs, my phone, and the shop) helped me get some new perspective on working and living. I’ll get to much of this “new perspective” business in my upcoming Hong Kong travelogue posts — I think the first post will go up tomorrow (Tuesday), since we arrived in HK on a Tuesday and I like to be matchy like that — but here’s the quick rundown of changes:

1. Less computer time.
2. More walking. (10,601 steps today! = 4.35 miles)
3. Better food and smaller portions.
4. A more leisurely, exploratory attitude toward my work: taking a long view rather than a compressed, nitpicky, anxious, to-do list kind of attitude.
5. Making time for artist dates and other playtime.

The difference between working now and working before the trip, essentially, boils down to this: before the trip, I was stressed out; now, I feel like I’m still on vacation. Bingo! I’d love to hang on to that feeling of curiosity, excitement, abundance, and well-being for as long as I can. I highly doubt I need worry about whether I’m taking things too easy; past experience shows that my control-freak tendencies sneak back in rapidly after temporary breaks!

I cultivated this vacation attitude today as much as possible. I took good care of myself: lots of walks, Yoga Tune-Up, home-cooked meals, and a mini artist date. I ran a couple of errands. I went slowly through all my project sheets and action lists, dipping my toes back into work, reevaluating where I want to be on all my projects. And I spent a very happy hour or two playing with my delectable new Japanese colored pens (from Muji). In my refreshed state, cheery lines and swirls just poured out from my fingers! It was so much fun!

I’ve been up since 6:30 and I am ready to get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow — with my first Hong Kong travelogue entry. Good night!