A funny thing happened today. A female cardinal flew through the courtyard with a twig in its mouth. As I bent my head back to watch it soar across the courtyard I realized that I hadn't looked up in a long time. Darting every morning from the apartment to work to the gym and then back home again, I didn't have much time to look at anything beyond what was directly in front of me. Mike talked a little about using this time to reevaluate how we see things, and for me that means slowing down. Slowing waaay down.
For the better part of the last three years I produced and directed a daily international news show. That meant that no matter how my morning started, the team and I always put together an hour's worth of programming by noon Monday through Friday. I found this schedule strenuous when I began, but the high-paced mornings and the meticulousness it required grew on me. I found the process of producing the show exhilarating, and I always left work with a sense of accomplishment. Looking back, I think that daily act of creation was exactly what I needed after four years of "The Life of the Mind" at the University of Chicago.
When my contract ended at the radio station on May 1st, my biggest fear was that I would miss that lifestyle-- miss the satisfaction of producing something every day for the world to hear. Two and a half weeks into unemployment, I can tell you that this fear was misplaced. I have yet to miss the grind of daily show production. And I am rediscovering ways of experiencing that sense of accomplishment sans my old rushed routines. This blog will be part of that. So will the freelance journalism and creative writing I do in Korea.
No doubt our time in Asia will be filled with many adventures and travels. But I also hope that in the fervor of discovering a new culture, I can maintain this slower pace. And remember to take the time to look up.
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