Saturday, 19 November 2016

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us

I have been madly busy lately. The good sort, though. Actually, is there any other kind? I just sold a project with a client I've been cultivating for years. It's a real accomplishment, seeing the efforts bear fruit. After the euphoria, comes the responsibility of delivering to the expectations both he and I had. So much so, that as I took this long planned vacation with D & M to Athens and Paris, I felt conflicted. 

My family, like me, are all blessed (or shall I say cursed) with a deep sense of obligation. So, you can imagine the dilemma I faced trying to fulfill my promise to all that I care about. So, as I sat in the SilverKris Kris Lounge before flying off, I wrote to the client:
"I wanted to convey this personally to you because I know this is important to you and to demonstrate that I am focussed on the project, remotely and of course am on the ground physically as much as possible. My team of course are on the ground constantly and so are the partners as we ramp up towards launching our journeys and use cases."

It's quite clear this trip is not an escape life. But rather it's about maximising it. So, there you go, the ultimate work-life balance. 

And nothing quite speaks to steady equilibrium more than D, who spent the anniversary of her birth on board and SQ helped me arrange a nice surprise! As they were preparing it, I had to stall a bit but I think I did a pretty good job with a good credible story about how we should meet at the exit of the jetway as we disembark the plane. While on the plane, more than 30000 feet in the air, travelling at over 800 km/h in European air space, we took a nice photo in the cabin to mark the occasion, and M thoughtfully stretched her arm, creating space for her brother.
 

Yes, this vacation starts with the notable absence of J, now that he is in the armed forces has limited off days and even less permission to vacation overseas. Thankfully, he will be having fun too, his friends are coming over to the house for barbecue. It will be much needed relief for him to unwind and relax after a difficult exercise in the officer cadet school. The good thing about him is he has the courage to try new things, the strength to see them through and the humility to learn from whatever has transpired. In this way, he is not discouraged. His heart is hopeful and happy.

Photo credit: brucelee.com


Speaking of hearts, we have been on holidays without him before, starting with a long weekend in Maldives 5 years ago where M wrote in the sand, "Kor, wish you were here". We missed him too in the week we took to Geneva and London two years ago. So this is a hat trick of vacation with just the three of us.

Watch this space on our experiences maxing our lives in the upcoming blog entries!

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