Taking stock

Second (first one is here) in a series of intermittent posts to gauge progress and see where things are going

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I've been meaning for a while to talk about my state of mind during this 'sabbatical'. I'm pleased to say that (so far)it has been really good. I am enjoying the flexibility, lack of responsibility and lack of work a lot. Perhaps a little too much :-). I don't feel even a little like I am transitioning to a state without structure or feeling a lack of direction. So far I've managed to plan enough activities, so that I'm doing stuff all the time although at a relaxed and easy pace. I feel like this is exactly the state that is most suited to my mentality. I guess this is a stage and things will continue to evolve, but for now -- this is great ! I love the lack of 9-5 and having to be at work every day at X time. I have had to be alert to my state of mind though. Every now and then, I feel a little disoriented and then I have to sit down and try to see why that's so and sense what's the right thing to do. Its quite cool.

As far as this blog is concerned, it continues to be a big part of the sabbatical and its a great outlet for whatever's in my head. I find that I absolutely need to spill my guts onto the blog and that frees me up to go on and do the next thing. The
AdSense program is also on track. Thanks to those concerned. :-)

Timbaktu is certainly on the cards. There are lot of things going on there and a lot of things that I want to understand better out of general curiosity. There is definitely the opportunity to contribute (a lot) and its quite openended in how much can be done. But the lack of structure also makes it dicey. The organization also seems to have some flaws in its setup and in discussing with some of the people there, some of the inherent flaws and difficulties in NGO work came out, so there are difficulties too, in working there. Going to Europe will be fantastic.

There are going to be some difficulties in managing time and tasks. I cant be away from Bangalore for too long at a stretch as Priya is not comfortable being alone. I also don't know how difficult it will be for her as she tries to transition and how much support she would need in the process. There are some other tasks that I need to take care of, and I'll have to juggle them in somehow.

Overall: I'm very happy ! Its a great beginning. I got some work done, there's lots more serious work to do but that should not be an issue. I am thinking in the background about what the long-term activity should be after the next few months, and while there is no clarity yet, there are enough interesting possibilities. This is also a fairly crucial year for Priya to try to gain some non-trivial skills and break into a new career.