YEAR OF REST?

Since September 2002, I've been on sabbatical from my normal job of running a youth entrepreneurship program here in West Philadelphia. I will be on this sabbatical until August 2003; yes, a full year of not doing what I've been doing for the past seven years. I had three main goals in taking this time away: 1) give my staff the chance for the buck to stop at their desk; 2) give myself a year to grow our organization's consulting department; and 3) give myself time away to rest, reflect, and gain perspective.

I'm a workaholic that has a hard time taking a day off, so taking a year off has been, well, difficult. I actually felt fresher in my head in September 2002 than I do now, when I wrote to those who support our youth program, something to the effect of "I need this time because when you're in the trenches, you need some down time in order to really give yourself to this work for the long haul."

While I still believe that, I wonder if I really will feel rested when I return to those responsibilities this August. For while I've been away from the youth program, I've been a part of other things that have opened my eyes to how the world outside my program works. I'm actively campaigning for someone running for City Council. I'm in a leadership class with 90+ of Philly's smartest and most accomplished people. And in my consulting work, I'm talking to and working for people around the world. I'm beginning to feel that my sabbatical year hasn't been a haven of peace and rest at all. Now that I've seen more of the world, what will be a haven will be returning to my former job and being able to focus most of my energy on my little piece of the world.