Quote-A-Day: 233

We can only continue on the right path when we've first taken the time to let our minds wander off of it.  #QuoteADay #Day233 #edchat #ASCDL2L

It's 10:10 PM on Wednesday, August 20th, and I'm sitting in our hotel room at Port Orleans French Quarter.  I'm in a chair by the bathroom with the door cracked open, while my daughter is snoozing in her bed.  I'm typing this post up the day before (tomorrow is a travel day, and I'm not sure how much time I'll have once I get home), and prior to typing this post, I've been sitting and reflecting on the last six days down here at Disney.

Sure I've been thinking about work, but mostly I've been thinking about family.  And often, I feel like I haven't been thinking much at all.

We need those opportunities for some of the neural pathways in our brain to be turned off or shifted.  We need a chance to decompress, think differently, and step off the beaten path.  We need the time to think about nothing, or think about things so different from our normal thinking patterns that it actually feels as if we're "living a different life."

I've had an amazing year in a new position, and I'm about to begin my second year in this role.  I've had the time this summer to reflect on the work I've done, and consider changes I want to make to keep getting better.  And now, I've had a number of days to not think of any of that, and just, be.

As I head back to the "real world" tomorrow, I feel prepared to jump back into the driver's seat on Friday, get my hands dirty right where I left off, and delve into a few new areas, all with a renewed emotional, physical, and social sense.

While we always want to continue on the right path, we'll never get anywhere if we don't give ourselves the opportunity to step off it every so often.