I am back at work after my usual two week beginning of July vacation.    I am a huge proponent of taking more than a week off if you are able to.   One of my favorite days it the Sunday after the first week, knowing that there are still days of relaxation ahead.   Most cannot completely check out during their time away, myself included.   The demands of business and desire for instantaneous communication really doesn’t allow for this.   Actually, I am more than OK with that.   I enjoy getting back to people.   I respond to them, perhaps to often and quickly, but, many are just quick responses allowing the other party to move ahead.    I also thrive on the stimulation of business, commerce and activity.   I can relax, but, need to balance it with staying busy.

I am also very fortunate to have a great staff.   Most of the daily tasks are handled by them, allowing me to get away, deal with crazier issues and communicating with clients.   Something else that I love to do.   This year we are doing some renovations at our lake house.   Having the activity of the construction crew there, everyday at 6:15 am, maybe doesn’t sound fun, but, again, I thrive on that.  I just don’t think the neighbors really enjoyed the hammering and saws that early in the morning.

Time away allowed me to reflect.   A couple items struck me about the economy and how things are going.   While completely anecdotal, it does give me some comfort that the recovery is moving forward, albeit slowly, and it appears to have plenty of room for continued growth.   The first is the amount of truck traffic.  This is on the expressways, turnpike and most major roads.   Seems like there is no time of the day, when there isn’t traffic heavier than what it was 5 years ago.   Trucks do move more than goods, they do move the economy, so as inconvenient as it is, I would rather see them than not!

I also just played with my partner, Trevor Royston, in his club’s three day member-guest golf tournament.   We always have a great time, even though the scoring results don’t usually reflect this.  Sorry again Trevor.
What struck me was both the positive attitudes of the players and the vibrancy of colors that many were wearing.    Somewhere I have read that the brightness of clothing reflects the strength of the economy.   I am hoping this is true, as the orange, bright blue, green, pink was everywhere to be seen.

While these are just a couple random thoughts, it reflects my attitude of being more relaxed, energized and ready to both make things happen, balanced with having some fun.    It is summertime and maybe we can all exhale a little, enjoy the sunshine and warmth and play some.   We all know that not every day will have sunshine, so I will try and I encourage you to also!