A Deep Breath…

and then the plunge.

 So the sabbatical has begun.

 My first feeling was being adrift.  I spent so much of the last two weeks working at getting all of my stuff ready to hand over to the wonderful people who are making this possible that I had no time to do any real preparation for what I would be doing once today arrived.  I have a broad idea of what I want to do but as for hitting the ground running?  Doesn’t seem to be on for today.

So what have I done so far?  I went out and did some shopping.  Which in a way does qualify as sabbatical work.  My hope is to get the chance to do a lot of cooking during this time.  My cooking has been a great source of peace and happiness over the last couple years.  My lady wife enjoys the benefits of some gourmet cooking too.  So we’ll do that.

The rest of the time has been spent trying to get my head wrapped round the concept.  I catch myself thinking “OK, next week when I’m back at work…”.
Um, no.
“Next month?”
Um, no.

After the intensity of the last two weeks and perhaps especially the last three or four days to be faced with this sudden lack of…anything brings on a feeling just short of explosive decompression.

Which is probably one of the goals of a sabbatical.

So what are the plans?  I’ve opened this up and asked folks to journey along with me.  Seems only fair you have at least a small idea of where we’re headed.

I have a sabbatical “project”.  A look at Personal Piety in an Episcopal context in the 21st Century.  I think I’ll hold off to tomorrow to expand on my initial thoughts on that.

There are some other things I want to work on as well.

To practice my guitar.
To finish writing my novel.  50,000 words done but not edited.  So I probably need close to 50,000 more.  I now know that such a goal isn’t as hard as you might think.  Whether or not it’s good is a completely different subject.
To put a push on to get to my weight goal.  It’s been two years since I started.  I got within 15 pounds and then backslid to about 20 pounds away.

A couple hours a day (on average) on the project.  An hour of guitar, an hour of writing.  That’s only 4 hours a day.  The rest?  To cook, to read, to think, to write (other stuff including this blog), to explore whatever presents itself.

At the very end I will go on a spiritual retreat to Holy Cross Monastery.

And then?

It will be interesting to find out.  I hope you’ll journey along with me.