The kids are off to daycare and camp, my wife is back to work and now I have a spare moment to jot down some updates about this thing called my sabbatical. It's been a solid three months and change since I last coached, though I started winding things down a few months earlier, right after we lost Duke. Between then and now it seems like I've only blinked a few times. Time has speed up. This blog is a quick summary of what's been going on.

May was full of home projects and plowing through the backlog of life. I patched and painted a bunch of walls in our house. Hung up some shelves and racks in our garage, flew out to visit my mom and sister's family and dove into taking care of various odds and ends. Nothing special but it felt good to tame the todos. I'm most effective at getting things done by simply removing them from my list!

June featured some travel, both to a family cabin in northern Minnesota and the greater Philadelphia area to visit my extended family for my niece's High School graduation. Thrown in the mix were several colds and an ear infection that pulled my three year old out of daycare. I was full-on parenting a bunch with my son out of school, having completed 1st grade. It took me a while to admit that taking care of young kids is a full time job, and it is more enjoyable if I accept that fact and abandon rigid plans and ambitions.

July was special, as my wife also took a break from work and we didn't enroll the kids in summer camps or programs. We had the entire month to ourselves! My purpose in taking a sabbatical now (over 11 years since my last one) is to spend time with my kids when they are young and think daddy is fun to be around (or at least tolerable). Being a slightly older parent (at least compared to many other parents I encounter) made this a more pressing desire, and also possible. Working longer has provided some savings, which allows for the option of not working!

The plan was to spend most of the month at a family cabin up north, but that plan quickly changed as we realized how hard it is to wrangle little ones without the comforts of home and the safe support structure built-into our quiet and conveniently appointed neighborhood. The dream of spending all day at the beach fades when faced with the reality of preparing meals for picky eaters, a rambunctious dog and all-day playtime without other kids nearby to share the load. We realized that we can only dig in the sand, swim or hang on monkey bars for so long (they are nearly impossible for adults but trivial for a seven year old!). No adult can play with a kid like other kids can. It's in their DNA. The prevalent fires in Minnesota and Canada added suffocating smoke to the mix.

So instead of a month at the cabin, we opted to stay home for July, and adventure around locally. We visited multiple zoos, the gargantuan Mall of America (and its full-sized aquarium), the science museum and outdoor playgrounds, lakes and pools galore. We had many play-dates with friends and watched plenty of movies at home ("Moana" and "Encanto" on repeat), and a couple in the theater ("Minions & Monsters" and "The Mandalorian").

My son has really taken to cycling and watching the Tour de France daily helped stoke his love for two wheels. We wrapped up the month with a 24 mile group charity ride this weekend (the "Tour de Tonka") around Lake Minnetonka. Kids can really accomplish a lot if given the chance. He will remember that ride for life! We even towed our three year old along in a trailer. Overall, it was nice to just hang around and see where the days would take us. No agenda living is a rarity.

Today, as August begins, my son started a week of "camp" (it's not a sleep away camp, those start when he is a bit older) and my daughter is back at daycare a couple days a week. Camp culture is strong here in Minnesota. He will get dirty and tired every day with other kids: building forts, swimming, rock climbing and more.

So, where does that leave me?

Well, I am still on sabbatical and have the entire day in front of me (from 9am - 3pm at least!). I used my first hour today to go for a leisurely run. Now I'm typing these words. Next, I'll eat lunch, walk my dog and read a bit. I imagine somewhere during the day (or at least this week!) I'll think about my own return to coaching. When should that be? What changes, if any, will I make to how I work and live?

It's curious how I haven't had any revelations in my time off. I've just lived life, much of it has been journeyman like, just showing up and doing the laundry, making meals and walking the dog and dealing with (mostly minor) unplanned emergencies. There's been a lot of fun and relaxation too. As I counsel my coaching clients, I know not to rush the process of insight. The most helpful thing is to stay fully engaged in whatever life is presenting as right now. Beyond that, take care of your health and relax. I'm doing my best to heed that counsel.