Back to Life…
… back to reality.
Since I’ve been back, I have been asked the same three questions over and over again. “Did you have a good time?” “How does it feel to be back?” “What are you going to do on your next six months off?” I’ve also been asked (repeatedly but always by the same colleague) when I was going to update my blog. I guess the answer to that one is now.
I got asked whether I had a good time whilst I was away so many times that I started to answer with a deadpan, “no, not really, it was a bit sh*t”. Stupid the questions deserve stupid answers: of course I had a good time. Who wouldn’t enjoy six months off work travelling around the world doing all the things they’ve wanted to do for ages with no real worries about money? I had a great time. Taking that time off was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
Workwise coming back hasn’t been nearly as bad as most people seem to have expected it would be. It was strange in a way: back to same office, the same people (more or less), the same cases… it was almost as if I had never been away. Except I had. Even if work hadn’t changed that much, I think that I have. One of the big changes for me is that before I left, I almost felt like I was working where I was because I hadn’t quit yet. Coming back, I know that it is a firm that I have chosen to work for.
Before I went away, it was easy to see all of the issues that everyone complains about. Having taken some distance, it became easier to see just how irrelevant most of those niggling little issues are and to notice some of the great things about where I work. I have a bit more of a positive mental attitude since I’ve been back. Some might call it a positively mental attitude.
More generally, being back in London is great. I really love this city and the many opportunities there are to do something interesting every day. More than anything though, it is just great to be back with my friends. I really missed a lot of the London crowd when I was travelling and it is great to see them/you all again.
As to what I will do on my next six months, my answer is always the same: I don’t think I’ll do it again. That may change but, for now, I’m glad that I took six months off but I’m happy to be back. I’m not planning on doing it again. Certainly not anytime soon.
