Recharging the Batteries
I recently returned from a vacation to Las Vegas. I was really looking forward to going because I thought it was just what I needed to clear my head and get my House (work, personal, etc.) in order.
Unfortunately, almost exactly the opposite happened. I spent much of the day before we left rushing around finishing last minute errands and getting ready to leave my house for four days. I had to pack clothes for my kids, make arrangements for the dogs, cat, fish and birds to be taken care of, adjust the furnace and water heater, pay some bills, get my nails done and wrap up loose ends in the office. I hadn’t even packed by the time I collapsed into bed late Wednesday evening.
Thursday is the day we are planning leave – and it’s not much better than Wednesday. I get up at dark thirty 4:45 a.m. to go to Crossfit, then I get the kids ready for school. I pack (and forget a ton of stuff, by the way…) my bag, my husband’s bag and the car. Before we go, I have to stop at the bank and the pharmacy, plus the optometrist called to let me know that my new glasses were in. By the time we got to Vegas – an 8 hour drive – I was exhausted.
Fast forward through three days of shopping, a bit of gambling, lots of laughing…and another 8 hour trek home. I arrive in time to oversee signing homework, writing checks for school lunch, looking at the schedule for the week ahead and wishing I didn’t have a mountain of laundry to scale before bedtime.
Now I find myself looking forward to the upcoming Christmas break and I can tell that the schedule is already going to be hectic. Snowboarding, soccer practice (indoor), basketball and a few parties. Those things all sound fun, of course, but they are things that will keep me on the go, when what I’d really like to do is sit down and make sure the couch doesn’t go anywhere. I’ve got at least 8 books I’d like to read and several series I need to finish on Netflix. I’d rather play some board games with the kids and wear my pajamas all day long…
Here at New Dawn, I’ve been working with our user experience manager on recharging the batteries on the ND Community by adding new content. We’re also working on a redesign. Head over there and check out the release notes we’ve uploaded for versions 5.4, 5.5, and 5.6. Version 5.7 release notes will be available as soon as it is released to the public. The UX team is also working on some videos to improve both your experience with the Community as well as your overall JustWare experience.
You’ve probably been burning the candle at both ends, too. Work, family, the holidays, colder weather… What kind of things do you do to recharge your batteries?