It is hard to get going again. Comrades is done. The vacation is forgotten. India is hot and humid. I don’t have anything planned. After some time away from the usual grind, I came back with a sense that something has to change.

When you get back to your house, you look with new eyes at it. You see the accumulated dirt in the corner. You see parts of your life that need to be renewed and restored. Like my regular coffee date with my wife. Like bringing back music into my life, dusting off the clarinet. I allowed people to add me as friend indiscriminately on Facebook but grew lonely anyway. So I unfriended everyone that I don’t recognize. Now maybe I can be a bit more authentic with what I say.

I have been running too much. So I am bringing back some joy into it. Let “100 days of running” say what they want; I know that one needs to rest some days. The running group attendance dwindled while I was gone, so we are changing it to run on weekends and maybe one mid-week regular time trial.

In my devotion, I have been reading through the New Testament and got a lot out of it. But it is finished now. I think it is time to join a small group at our church to get the perspective and friendship of others.

At work, I have regular one on one meetings with direct reports. These times are great for getting to know what is going on. Now it is time to do the same with my daughters. I had one and wish I started it earlier, but it is probably never too late. My son needs me to play with him, and I love a game myself. I need to shake off the laziness.

Change is not easy. But the motivation came and I am riding it like a wave.

Stephan