Two days left in Austin, and it’s beginning to feel like the end of another trip.
Before I arrived, I wondered – what am I going to do for 12 days in Austin? Turns out, the days fill up pretty easily. Sure, I didn’t do any of the super touristy stuff, but that wasn’t why I was here in the first place. To see my sister, play with Snuggles, do some shopping, but most of all, to take a break from work.
A therapist once told me it’s important to have something to look forward to. It doesn’t have to be a grand reward. It can be as simple as looking forward to unwinding in front of the TV after work. And every now and then, you treat yourself to something special.
To me, this trip to Austin was my special reward, and I’m glad to have taken it.
For the first few days, I was still checking messages out of habit and thinking about unfinished work. That’s pretty usual for me.
Apparently, I had to go all the way to the United States to stop checking my work messages. Being in a different time zone helped. So did being out and about, away from a computer. It made it easier to disconnect and not feel bad about disconnecting.
Apart from one day with some urgent Slack messages, I kinda let it all go. I’d handed over my work before leaving, and I knew my manager and colleagues could handle things while I was away. That gave me some peace of mind.
Work goes on without me, and I’m thankful for that. I’m glad I have a job and colleagues who understand that I can go away for a while and have this time to myself.
Even when I’m on leave, there’s this feeling that I should be doing something useful or productive.
And I guess I did, just in different ways. I wrote a bunch of blog posts, drew in my sketchbook, and remixed one of my songs into lo-fi. I also watched movies, played games, walked a lot, explored Austin, and spent time with my sister when she wasn’t working.
I’m going to miss walking Snuggles through the neighborhood in the middle of the night. Just me, her, the fresh air, and her poopy business. No idea if I’ll ever get to walk her again (she’s old 🥲) but here’s to hoping this wasn’t our last outing together.
In a couple of days, I’ll be back in Kuala Lumpur, a short drive away from the office and in the same time zone as the rest of the company. I’m in no hurry to get back, but I’ll shift gears once I’m there.
Right now, it feels a bit like Sunday night, when you’ve still got some weekend left but Monday is already on your mind. It’s only today that going back has started to feel close.
For now, I’ve still got two days in Austin.