My sabbatical is over. “How was it?”, “What are your insights?”, “What are you doing now?” have been frequently asked questions in the last weeks.
My sabbatical is a new element in the landscape of my life. The picture of the Sigiriya Rock illustrates this reality beautifully. It takes a bit of bravery and effort to get there. But, if you look at it, you sense the speciality of this rock in the landscape. Once you have climbed on top of the rock, you look around and see your life landscape with different eyes. There may also be parts that you re-discover.
Letting go lasted longer than expected. But, on the other hand, it was great to have an empty calendar without professional or private obligations. The pandemic helped me be at home and move from the doing mode into the being moments.
In the first weeks, I completely changed the way I start my day. I attended meditation courses, did much yoga with my wife, and wrote daily. As a result, I developed a new morning routine of meditation, yoga, and journaling bit by bit that I continue to enjoy nearly every morning. Hence, the vibrations of the sabbatical are present each morning that I follow my morning routine with a view of our garden – a sabbatical never ends.
I also changed the set up of my home office room. Previously it was our guest room. Now I’ve created a space to work effectively and meditate, read, sketch, play, develop my photography, or do other inspirational activities. The room is now a proper energy space.
The sabbatical has also been great to sense that I do not fear to have days without to-do lists. There is so much to discover with everything I already own and the people I know every day.
I’ve gained clarity on who I am thanks to my conversations during my sabbatical and the experiments I did. This clarity has also led to the decision to start a coaching education. The journey so far has been a great experience, and I’m looking forward to the next steps on the Co–Active Coaching learning journey. Coaching will be one of the building blocks of the side business I’m currently building.
Less is more. The richness in time during the sabbatical has been one of the essential experiences. I noticed that I’ve interests that want to have more light. I’m not sure yet what kind of fruits will grow from these plants. Nevertheless, it has been a special moment to mark July 30, 2021, as my last Friday of a usual 5-day week. From August 01, I’m working four days a week for SAP – a sabbatical never ends.
“Sense the now, explore the next” was the motto of my sabbatical. I should have added “and let go of the legacy” because this is undoubtedly an activity that consumed a significant portion of time in the first half of the year. Hence, I sorted out stuff in the cellar, cleared documents from the last ten years, decided how much I’m still going to support existing engagements like supporting local associations. I’ve also let go of my previous position. I’ve won new degrees of freedom. As a result, I’m currently exploring new opportunities.
What I missed was meeting face to face with my friends, family and also inspirational people from my network. The same applies to enjoying art exhibitions or other cultural events on-site. I’m so glad that this is possible again now, after that I received my second jab four weeks ago.
Social distancing and the pandemic have accompanied my wife and me during this sabbatical. I’m lucky to have become a “corona surfer” during this time, observing where the waves are low “on the corona sea”, and it was safe to start a ride.
Hence, I’m grateful for all the opportunities we had to sense the now and explore the next and all the people we met. Like, e.g. during our stay in Sri Lanka, where we woke up one morning at 4 AM. We drove with a tuk-tuk to the start point for a trail that led us on top of Pidurangula Rock, where we sensed the magical moment when Sigiriya Rock is bathing in the morning sun. A sun that wakes up the hills and valleys around Dambulla. What you cannot hear are the trumpeting of the elephants somewhere in the forest, the barking of the dogs, and the joyful singing of a multitude of birds welcoming this new day in our life – a sabbatical never ends.
