Shutting Down and Re-Boot

Having had the opportunity to spend the school holidays with the family, and relaxing in the tranquility of the Waterberg, one of the most beautiful places in South Africa, I feel great!
Its amazing waking up in the morning lighting the "Bushveld" TV and having a cup of coffee.
Sitting and staring at the bushveld the emotions of the past couple of months start to cause turmoil!

The view from the kitchen.

The phone is not ringing, the e-mails are not coming in, there is nobody coming into your office and asking for your time!
The first two days you don't know what to do as the rat-race is constantly in the back of your mind, then all of a sudden it hits you, "I can rest!" The sense of bewilderment is gone and a change starts to happen, you become tired, you go to sleep and wake up refreshed, you are not irritable any more, you see the family with different eyes, you even like to do physical activities without having to motivate yourself!
For some this relaxation happens at a five star hotel, for some its a quiet evening fishing, and for some its being in the bush, but no matter were you find your solitude the most important thing is to enjoy it!
I learnt something when I was on holiday, the process of shutting down!
As I said the first emotion is anxiety, "what will happen if I'm not at work", then you start feeling lost, "why isn't anybody trying to contact me",  then the awakening, "things can go on without me", then you go into relaxation and enjoyment.
For some these emotions can happen in the blink of an eye, for some it takes hours and others needs a few days to get this sorted, so know yourself, and plan the duration of your trip that you can experience the true value of your get-a-way.
This holiday was excellent, there was no schedule, it was great as we all have schedules that we have to keep in the week, nobody complained if you had a beer ten o'clock in morning, you could basically just do what you wanted!
But as always the visit to "Oom Jan's" man cave was the topping! He is a character straight out of the Bushveld. Like Davy Crockett, or even Chuck Norris, just ten times more manly!

Oom Jan

Oom Jan tells jokes, educates you about the bush, firearms, hunting or just life in general. Discussing hunting rifles, shot placement and observing the veld has a whole different meaning, especially when a generous dose of mampoer has been added to the mix! You leave his den motivated, inspired and sometimes in awe, what a place.
We booked our hunting weekend on Born Wild for next year, and I can promise you it will be great.

In the words of  Isaac Mizrahi "The more relaxed you can get, the better you'll do".

Well till next time.