Pain in the arse

๐Ÿ“†

Pain in the arse โ€“ When life messes with your best-laid plans.

One of the benefits of working at Clearleft is the gift of a 4 week sabbatical after 5 years of service. Itโ€™s a wonderful recognition of your ongoing hard work and commitment to the company and clients.

The timing couldnโ€™t have been better. The emotional and physical demands of the pandemic. The high demand for research and fast pace of agency life. The transition of key life stages as a family. I am ready for a break.

My 4 week plan was to do as little as possible. Visit family, lots of rest and sleep, reading and reflection, eat well and exercise. I recognised privilege of this rare opportunity of such a long break and wanted to make the most of it.

What could possibly go wrong?

When life gives you lemons

Just over one week into my sabbatical I have piriformis syndrome which has completely changed the course of my remaining time off. Iโ€™m now resting out of necessity rather than choice.

Iโ€™m obviously very disappointed. But Iโ€™m not devastated.

This isnโ€™t unfamiliar territory. On paper the projects we work on seem simple. A number of planned activities to achieve desired outcomes over a period of time. Once they start they become complex and painful at times.

Overcoming these challenges comes from a combination of factors:

  • Acceptance of the situation
  • Honest and open conversation
  • Taking action quickly
  • Support from an empathic team

Over the next three weeks Iโ€™ll be relying on these to help navigate the challenges ahead.

The sweetest lemonade

Iโ€™m lucky enough to be supported by two of the most wonderful human beings in my life.

I want to say a massive thank you to my wife who is caring for me and pick up the pieces while managing her own huge commitments at this time. I really appreciate the sacrifice you are making for me. And to my son who is supporting me with such empathy and care, Iโ€™m so proud of who you are becoming.

I love you both. ๐Ÿ’œ๏ธ

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