Today was a rather busy day. Jonathon intuitively commented that I certainly have a full schedule for somebody on a leave of absence. Spot on observation. My reply was honest: I have trouble saying "no" and have issues with being alone. Thus, I fill the time instead of using it how I should and would be well served. Being alone and just "being'! It's all about habits and routines. The time adjusting to the isolation at the Zen center was revealing. I wanted to bail on day one, yet I was more at home and enjoying the solitude by day four. My aspiration should be to achieve that end goal. Yet my friendships matter, too. On his initial stretch of extended time off, my friend may benefit from the comradery of our shared insights over lunch. My too-long delayed lunch with Jack is nothing I want to defer either. Hearing from John G. about the Bono book with the desire to sync up and catch up would be a rewarding use of my time. Lauren's return for a single-day dental follow-up is non-negotiable. That's my week so far. I'm already aware that I am over-committed. Yet that is a good thing... meaning that I recognize it. I'm aware. Maybe not as proactively, but still... I see it, and I know the impact and cost. Lunch was good. We are both facing some similar challenges and experiences. This stuff tends to build up over time, and I strongly suspect we are at the forefront of an onslaught. Like-minded people are getting close to raising their hands and saying, "time out. "I'd like to continue to meet up. To keep each other focused on goals and ways to manage transitions. I took the mini cooper to get Laven from the train station. Top-down, of course! I could tell she enjoyed seeing lucky and Tommy and Jen before we took her to the dental appointment. It ended up being unnecessary. They determined that all was well and that no further adjustments were needed. That sounded like a waste of time, but she seemed fine with the break from the school routine, so, all good.