It's One of Those Weeks

It's Monday, and I leave on Friday for a weeklong business trip. This is one of those weeks when you wake up and have no idea how it's all going to get done. You just know it has to.

Weeks ago, I planned on having more than enough time and easing into this week, but those plans didn't work out. I have a full life, things come up, and I've been busy living in the moments, which is one of my goals.

I'm both looking forward to the trip and dreading it a little. I don't want to go into it exhausted. I've learned that when I completely deplete myself, I don't do as well. I pay much more attention to managing my energy than I used to. I work out, pay attention to my nutrition and hydration, and take better care of my health overall. I've learned that taking care of me is part of the process. I'm one of the things I need to tend to.

When I come home, I'll go directly into Thanksgiving preparations, then a weekend getaway. I am looking forward to catching up with colleagues I've known for years and meeting new ones as well.

At work, I have an awesome team that manages the daily functioning of the company with very little input from me. They don't need me second-guessing what they do. This was one of my early goals.

Anything open on my desk will be left up to date with a summary that tells the story of where we are, next steps, concerns, what I'm waiting on, and anything else that might need to be known. If someone needs to work on it while I'm away, they will be able to jump in and be up to date very quickly. This is one of my working philosophies.

At home, it looks different.

We have vet appointments this week. Our eldest canine child is a fifteen-year-old Chihuahua, so he goes in for quarterly checkups. I'll be holding my breath just a bit until I hear all is well. Later in the week, Sage, one of our feline children, goes in for dental work.

Then there are bills to pay, groceries, dry cleaning, laundry, and making sure the refrigerator, pantry, and pet cabinet are stocked. I try to leave things in good order.

Fortunately, I have help at home. My partner takes responsibility while I'm traveling. I have adult children who live nearby and other family members who can step in if needed. We also have someone who helps care for my uncle and looks after our home and animals as though they were her own. I am very grateful for her.

My partner and I have an agreement about how difficult decisions should be handled when one of us is away. We started having these conversations when Reese, my soul dog, was getting older. We have other aging pets as well, so it was important that we understood each other's wishes.

There is no second-guessing decisions made when I'm away. This applies to both home and work. I wasn't there, and I wasn't making the decision in real time. I won't second-guess someone else's judgment. I trust that they did the best they could with the information they had at the moment. That's all you can ask of anyone.

When I travel, I remain connected to home and the office. If anyone needs me for anything, they know they can reach me. This is the case whether I'm traveling or not.

Then there's The Steward Edit. It has its own calendar, and apparently that calendar hasn't consulted my other calendars.

I have writing I want to finish and things I want to publish before leaving. Writing has become part of my life, and I want to make time for it. I'm not quite sure where those hours are going to come from this week. We'll see what happens.

When I return, I'll have follow-up from the conference and one day in the office before moving on to Thanksgiving preparations. We're having around thirty people this year, I think. We're still waiting to hear from some, so the count may change. At one point, I thought we were approaching fifty. Now twenty or thirty-something is sounding totally manageable.

My daughter will handle arranging the tables. There will be food to prepare and a multitude of things I haven't thought of yet.

The next few weeks are busy, but they are all things I want. I love my work, sharing Thanksgiving with my family, and the time I spend on The Steward Edit. We have too few moments throughout the year when we all get together. I don't wish for less. I'm grateful for what I have.

For now, I have four days to finish what I can, and I still haven't started packing.

Wish me luck.