Re-entry - KK

So I’ve had these ideas of what life might look like upon re-entry following the three month long trip around the world.  Happily I report that family reunification has been even sweeter than I imagined. 

Work hasn’t begun yet. Though I go back in a week. I’ll be honest I’ve had a recurring dream about returning to work. It begins with me on the first day back. In it I am wearing my Cambodian sarong and I have my Nepalese prayer bowl and some Japanese tea to share. The first meeting is constructed: I enter the room (remember I’m in a sarong, maybe open toe sandals and hair possibly pulled up, but real classy like a French twist!) and I bow, reverently sharing a “Namaste.” It’s important that my full Zen-like demeanor is projected as to inject calm and peacefulness into the discussion. Did I mention this meeting will begin no earlier than 10am so that all may have quiet time for reflection in nature prior to work commencing?

The meeting then starts with greetings, hot tea and time to share our thoughts for the day.  Once we begin to focus on the work agenda I offer my newly acquired understanding of “pacing and placing.” 

(Obviously there is no “fire” and as Americans we have become conditioned to treat all matters as though the sun’s very existence depends on the 50-yard dash approach. Because of this, the lines get blurred between what is truly urgent and what should be given more thoughtful consideration. In fact, majoring on the minors seems to pervade our brand of Western culture at work and at home.) 

Therefore I will suggest that we should better pace ourselves with the enormous list of to-dos and place importance, focus and deliberation on only what matters most. 

Now by the time we’ve had tea, personal bonding and come to an understanding of a reasonable workload and timeline, it will be time for a meal. In my travels I picked up the forgotten art of leisurely dining and most meals we had were considered “slow food” by American standards. So I will want to guide our group to embrace a two hour pause for the midday meal as well as Implement a practice of using warm, damp cloths with which to cleanse our hands both before and after a meal. This will also require a smidge of extra time to prepare.

A brief walk followed by some rest and possibly a short nap will be very important for proper digestion too. At this point, I will need to begin thinking about the winding down of my day and I will gently insist that due to intense traffic, I’ll be heading out around 3pm. I will want to be in place for my five o’clock glass of wine and preparation for sunset viewing, followed by a discussion of something wildly interesting such as a comparison of the northern and southern lights, the long term implications of Brexit or an examination of the symbiotic relationship between Shintoism and Buddhism.

Then I’ll relax by soaking leisurely in a hot tub with essential oils and Himalayan bath salts before a dinner of internationally inspired foods followed by reading time.

By then I will be good and ready for sleep. The following day I’ll have to get up and do it all over again. It’s a grind.

Then again maybe I won’t wear the sarong on the first day back. I think it’s too much! 

Dream a little dream... Cass Elliot 

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