Rhythm and context

OK, we’re back. Apologies for the break, if you have missed your daily dose. However the week’s holiday was great and then I have been back in the UK for a few days.

What is fascinating to me is that the rhythm which was so easy in a variety of contexts while I was away is much harder here at home. Away I would decide on the structure of a day and then stick to the plan with minor variations; at home there are a thousand things which impinge on time. Most of  them are important things, but the interesting thing is that they erode central tasks for this time.

So, for example, while I was abroad I was writing four to five thousand words a day, here I have written about that in a week.  This is fine because there is an inevitability about tasks stacking up while I am away and then needing attention when I return. Moreover there was a week’s grace built into the plan for this return.

However, what it makes me realise is the importance of rhythm that is refreshed regularly to fit the current context. In fact that’s what I am going to do now: it is time to sit down and map out how the week will look for the remaining time on sabbatical. Being away is fruitful, the gift is bringing that ongoing fruitfulness into the everyday of life.