Forced Breaks and Flexibility
July 1, 2023
About a year ago I received a summons from the county in which I live. It said I had to report for jury duty in about eight weeks–and for two straight weeks.
Of course, as an educational consultant, my work is booked out for quite some time. As I write this now in June of 2023, there aren’t two weeks in a row open until June 2024 on my calendar. So I requested a waiver, which was granted.
A couple of months later, I received another summons, and the waiver was again granted.
But in October, that waiver was denied (for service in early December). A phone call to the county clerk led to a mild scolding, but willingness to look out until I DID have two weeks in a row open to block out–which happened to be the last two weeks of June. No working in or with schools for those two weeks!
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.” ― Alan Cohen
A Forced Break
While this blog is not about fulfilling our civic responsibilities–which I did (and served on a jury for a one-day trial)–it IS about the need for breaks.
In my case, it was a forced break.
And I didn’t even realize how much I really needed some time to decompress.
Because I had to possibly report for duty during those two weeks, we couldn’t plan anything to go anywhere or do anything.
Instead, it was home for me. I spent quite a few hours “chillaxing” at Panera (my usual go-to for tea and writing and reading and thinking). I took a nap pretty much every day. My wife and I went to a number of movies. We watched a few Hulu and Prime series. We went out for lunch quite regularly. We worked in the garden. And we continued facilitating some remodeling of our bathrooms (which were supposed to be finished by Memorial Day–but that’s a whole other blog!).
While I was initially irritated, back in October, about the need to not take any work for two weeks, I’m now grateful. We all need time to disconnect, and yet reconnect with our priorities and people we love. This time was just that. A much-needed respite that I appreciated.
The judge in our case indicated that we are guaranteed to not be called again for jury duty for at least two years. Hmmmmmmm…
It was a really lovely two weeks. Come to think of it, maybe I should volunteer and get those two weeks held on my calendar for 2025?
Questions for Reflection:
- When do you find yourself needing to take a break?
- How might you schedule those breaks for yourself without it needing to be “forced” on you?
- What times in your life have circumstances felt like they were against you, but then turned out that it was better because of those circumstances?
Rib Review
Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t write a blog for June. That’s because my May was crazy busy. I worked with eight districts in seven states for a total of 16 days (plus travel). Not to mention that I’m working on my next book…So this month’s review includes visits in both May and June.
Before getting to the ribs of the past two months, let me share that I had some of the most amazing tacos when I was in Dallas. Both Velvet Tacos and Torchy’s Tacos were out of this world, and a nice change from barbecue (and, yes…I just said that!).
The absolute best ribs I’ve ever had were in a cafe in Ames this last month: The Cafe. Their ribs are not a featured item, but instead an appetizer of Korean-style barbecue ribs. Wow. Tender. Sweet. Delicious. The portion size is small, as an appetizer, but definitely worth it.
Oddly enough, another one of the better ribs I’ve had also comes from a place in Iowa: Jethro’s BBQ. We have it quite regularly, and I’m impressed with the tenderness and flavor every time that we enjoy it.
I had the opportunity to be in Louisville, Kentucky to host a PLC at Work LIVE institute in June. So over those three days I had barbecue twice. Mark’s Feedstore is a place we had several years ago on a family trip through the south, and my memory was spot-on. It was terrific! The ribs are not rubbed, but have a light sauce. Tender was most definitely the operative word on this trip.
After sharing with folks about the experience, they advised that I check out Momma’s Mustard, Pickles, and BBQ. Of course, I obliged. The flavor was really good, and the tenderness exceptional. Their ribs are rubbed quite heavily–too much for my personal taste. But the portion size was such that I could eat around the rub and enjoy the smokey flavor that had seeped into the meat through the rub process.
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My recent “forced break” was due to some medical issues. Fortunately, my prognosis is excellent, but it did cause me to consider my life/work balance. I also realized there were people I inadvertently fell out of touch with, so I’ve taken this opportunity to reconnect with them.