Coming Back

After being out of the office for a little over a week, it is always a challenge to come back and to return to the routines.  It is almost like I need to get my bearings once again and to figure out my direction.  Since this summer is going to be a summer of being out of the office a lot and doing a lot of traveling, the times that I am back in the office are filled with meetings and tasks.

There is a part of me that dreads this coming back because of all that needs to take place during those days.  But I must confess that there is a part of me that is grateful to what it means to come back.  I often find myself much more productive when  I come back.  I think that is because I know that I have to be efficient in my work since I need to complete many tasks in a short period of time.  I also think that the time away allows me to regenerate since my focus is on items that are not part of my normal daily routine.

While time away is beneficial, there is always the need to come back.  There are people who depend on me as a leader.  There are

Task lists (Photo credit: xentac)

people who I depend upon and that provide me a compass for life.  There are projects and tasks that have to wait until my return because of my role in them.  As the leaders in Scripture demonstrated, while it is great to have mountain tops and retreats, there is always the need to return to the everyday aspects of life.

So I am back.  Yes, I have a lot to accomplish in the next two weeks until I travel again.  Yes, there will be a sense of urgency and maybe even a little stress.  However, it is great to have coffee and discussions with friends.  It is great to be in the familiar.  It is great to know that I have purpose in the everyday.