I’ve had the restaurant for over 22 years and I’ve never been away for 2 weeks. Once, about 10 years ago, Caroline and I were on a 10 day trip. I am excited to travel more because the restaurant is running well and I have more time and desire to travel again. I say again because I traveled so much in my 20s and then not so much with the kids and the restaurant, but now I have the opportunity again and I want to take it. But now that the day is about to happen I feel anxious about leaving. We need to hire someone in the kitchen because one of the recent hires did not work out. It took over 2 weeks to interview and hire, a week to train, and then they left. So the process starts over. interview, hire, train, and wait. We have a full timer out with a bad shoulder, we have another pizza maker that moved away, and a full timer that has a sickness in the family which is pulling them away. These are all normal things; people get hurt, people move, and people deal with family sickness. But it’s all happening at the same time that we were unsuccessful with one of the recent hires, and at the same time I am leaving town, and the Gator football season is about to kick off with 2 home games I will miss being at work for. It’s hard for me. I want to be at work. I want to be there to catch problems and chat with customers. I want to know when I go to bed Friday nights that we did the best we could because I was there to witness it all. But I do trust the team, I just want to be a part of the action. However, I want to travel more so I must remember that. My traveling always gives me insights and perspective that staying home and working just cannot do. ‘

I planned a few trips for September and October so I’m anxious in a a way about all of that. Have I made good decisions? What about the art projects I want to do like try the welding now that I have all the things I need for that? What about the mosaic I spent so long making the tiles for? When will I be able to put them up? What about my paintings? I want to keep the momentum I have gained recently. What about stained glass? I have a hole in the greenhouse at work that will need a stained glass before the cold weather. How can I travel and do all my projects also? You see my anxiety is there worried about things that are all fun and waiting for me when I return. Common sense would dictate that I have everything to be thankful for like the ability to travel, and the beauty of coming back to a lot of fun art projects. Somehow I am able to make those into anxieties about how I will accomplish all I want to accomplish and what about the things I miss when I am over there doing that instead of over here doing this? FOMO. That’s what they used to call it. I don’t think they say that much anymore.

that’s all. I’m out of time again now. The trip is tomorrow and I’ve got some packing to finish and some sleeping to do. I’ve got a podcast to make. I would really love to write for an hour but my eyes are heavy so early tonight. I didn’t sleep well last night, probably from that very late cookie I ate with espresso in it.