Phase 1 : Unclutter, rest and finding a rhythm
We decided to settle in Greece for the 1st phase of our sabbatical but it is not so much about the place but the space; the mental space to start an inward journey.
As a family, we had to find a routine that allowed us the freedom to pursue what was important to each of us individually, support the kids through their schoolwork and give us family time together.
Days are roughly broken up into
7h30-9h00 Run / yoga & breakfast
9h00-12h00 Study
12h00-14h30 Lunch & siesta
14h30-17h30 Walk / swim / cultural visit
17h30–19h30 Study
19h30-20h30 Dinner
20h30–22h00 Downtime — a book, a film or simply doing nothing
We had originally planned 3hours a day for school but we quickly found that it was not giving us enough time to cover the syllabus. A greater focus had to be put on studies and a little less on sightseeing. This leaves Benoit & I with more time to work on our individual projects which is precisely what we needed. The kids have a huge passion for Greek mythology but to be honest, one stack of ancient stones looks pretty much like the next without the stories behind to bring them to life.
Benoit has spent much of the week sorting through files and photos on his computer. A little incident where he thought he had deleted all the files on his laptop was a great lesson on detachment…. There was a strange sense of lightness at the thought of it all being gone, and a quick assessment clearly revealed that amidst the thousands of files, only a handful were really essential.
Revisiting old emails, photos, writings and presentations is helping both of us reconnect with the highlights and milestones these past 15 years. I haven’t really had time to process all of this but it is giving me a clue to which direction my introspection is going to take in the coming weeks.
Jacques & Amelie are doing well and getting the hang of studying on a computer with tiger parents hovering over them…..
Notes : Read BIG TIME OFF (DJDiDonna) which I quite enjoyed; started HAPPINESS : A philosopher's Guide (Frederic Lenoir) which I did not like and am reading HOW TO RULE THE WORLD (Theo Baker) ....
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