This week, my wife and I went on a very short retreat to Eastern Oregon to soak in the local hot springs for a couple days. We try to make time a few times per year for mini retreats, because my wife needs to practice "self-care" on a regular basis. You see, she volunteers for NODA (No One Dies Alone); she stays with people that have no family or friends with them during their final hours. She treats them with respect and makes them feel special until they pass away. As you might imagine, this can generate emotions that could build up over time. So NODA requests that they seek ongoing self-care so that they can feel refreshed and invigorated to continue helping people.
But this topic isn't intended to talk about what my wife does with her time. With the squabbles among SurveyorConnect members that have occurred this week, I find myself wondering if surveyors practice self-care and get their minds off of work from time to time. It's not something I ever thought much about until my wife started volunteering for NODA. But I have to say, it's a really great practice and has helped me grow as a person. It seems ironic, but time away from work has helped me better develop my work skills.
What do you do to get your mind off of work? Even if you love surveying, surely you need some time away from it... don't you? How do you relax? Does it help you when you return to work?
What do you do to get your mind off of work?
That's funny....I don't
But seriously, I don't. So what I try and do is spend three or four weeks a year out of the office in a cabin or a beach house (and I always stay out of the office between Christmas & New Years) and confine my dealing with work to a fixed timeframe (say 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM)?ÿ
I have to disconnect from technology few times a year.?ÿ Travel to remote areas in my jeep with no cell service and just take in my surroundings.?ÿ Play a little guitar and simplify.
I switch off the surveyor neurons numerous times per day.?ÿ Just opened today's mail, for example, to find a request to help fund a Halloween in the Park event for area youngsters.?ÿ Wrote a check, put it in an envelope and will drop it off at a mail box later today with a couple of survey-related items.?ÿ Now, back to work.
I frequently take full days to do as little as possible about surveying.?ÿ We will be in the field all day Saturday, so taking a week day off is no problem.
Extended periods away from house and home are very rare, especially with COVID in the possible surroundings.
I'm taking off tomorrow morning at 6:00 am, headed to Alaska for 4 days. My buddy is a pilot, so he's flying us into a remote spot to fly fish for trout and throw rocks at the bears. Then Sunday, we'll take a charter out of Whitter and drag some barn doors (Halibut) up off the floor of the sound!
It's been a while; wish it could be longer; looking forward to it!
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I hope everyone has a great weekend, I know I will!!!
Dougie
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Give Angel a big hug for me, she's a good person...
This time of year I go where phones don??t work for a couple weeks and if I??m lucky, eat like a king for the next year. This year was good.
I don't understand the question. ?????ÿ
I like to go to the local casinos and play cards, though I haven't been for a while with the pandemic.
I've been taking my wife on "Sunday" drives (often Thursday or Tuesday) to see what's changed in our little world, typically places we know from our early courtship to places she's never been.?ÿ There are enough places to see within a half day's drive around here to keep us busy for years.
I go hunting in a place that has no cell signal.?ÿ
I get out on the water with this guy.
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I retired.
For a time I practiced and taught martial arts. I do some woodworking, although I haven't done much of that for a while now. We had a major renovation of the house that used up all my spare hours for most of 3 years and isn't 100% complete even now.?ÿ The beach is an hour drive west and the mountain is an hour drive east, with high desert beyond that. A few hours watching the game on Sunday or listening to baseball on the radio. I walk at least 50,000 steps per week and listen to podcasts while doing so.?ÿ
But most of all, when I need a break from a survey routine there are always other types of surveys that need doing.?ÿ
Me too and it took a year for me to finally calm down. During my business years it was on my mind 24/7/365 even on "vacation" I'd be looking for monuments instead of what you are supposed to look at. ?????ÿ
Can I come along!
You bet! Grab your Snoopy rod and reel and we'll meet you there!
