“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Like many of life’s big ideas, this one probably came to me in the shower. Or maybe it was during a fuzzy moment after playing a sad air, four pints into a late-night pub session. Perhaps it was on the 6th hour of the 98th day of the 27th year of working in an office and sitting behind a desk.
It’s time, I thought, to go walkabout. To wander. To take a long break, stretch my legs and see the world. To gain a fresh perspective. And to turn over the reins for a bit to the gods of serendipity.
Absolutely. Actually, I’d be nuts if I didn’t do it. It’s a perfect time in my life — poised between early midlife crisis and figuring out the next Big Move — to see new places (and old), meet new friends, play lots of music, cook great food, and scribble down thoughts that will end up as a novel or short stories or a Unabomber manifesto or just reams of copious drivel. Consider it a sort of creative sabbatical. Or simply that I’m on a long business trip and the business is me.
Oct. 2 – 18: Midwest & East Coast U.S.(Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore)
Oct. 19 – 28: Dublin, Ireland
Oct. 28- Nov. 4: Narbonne, France
Nov. 4 – 6: Madrid, Spain
Nov. 6-13: Salamanca, Spain
Nov. 14 – Dec. 31: Ireland (Clare & Dublin)
January and beyond…. Paris or other venues tbd. Oh and Turkey’s looking pretty good too…
In Chicago, Baltimore, Philly and NY I’ll be surfing the sofas of generous family and friends. In France, I’ll be cooking at a B&B near Carcassonne (Languedoc) in exchange for room & board . In Spain I’ll be staying in a school for Spanish executives, volunteering to help them practice their conversational business English (yep, again in exchange for room/board). In Ireland — at least for a bit — I’ll be volunteering at the Boghill Centre, an organic farm/retreat in north Clare, about halfway between Lisdoonvarna and Kilfenora, at the foot of the Burren. Yes, you’re seeing a pattern now – this will be in exchange for room & board.
Beyond this, I’ll be cobbling together an extended, low-budget tinerary by renting short-term, no-frills apartments, house-sitting/caretaking gigs and other unique opportunities that develop.
No, I’m not rich. In fact, I’m rather broke. But hey there’s more to life than money. And I can always get a job when I get home, right? RIGHT? Actually, I’m all set to keep serving some clients, just remotely. And you never know, I may pick some new ones up along the way.
There will be no interruption in service to my California clients, they just won’t see me for a while. We’ll just be working together virtually rather than face-to-face, which happens much of the time already. I’m fully set up to work abroad; my phone number remains the same (thanks to Skype), I have online access to my files, and I have a global subscription to Regus, the virtual office people, which gives me access to their 1,000+ temporary offices pretty much anywhere in the world. And, my team of colleagues in the Bay Area is always here to back me up on the ground should the need arise. Just consider this the first step in Hart Communications going global. And you can say you “knew me when…”
I’ve sold much of what I have, including my car, and storing anything that’s special to me. My dear friend Jenn Archbold is going to foster Molly and Seamus. Thanks, Jenn!
How can you contact me?
And, I wouldn’t be a good red-blooded American PR ho if I didn’t plan to blog about all the silly adventures that are sure to ensue. Trust me, you’ll always know where I am and what I’m doing…
That’s it for now. More soon from the road…
Cheers,
tim
timwhistle
[...] About Me Posted by: timwhistle | September 27, 2009 [...]
By: And the countdown begins… « The Explorateur on September 27, 2009
at 11:25 pm