On a mountain top

That's where I'll be this wekeend - this loooong weekend here in the US. One of those things I missed the most about being a post doc was that I was always (ok, most of the time) in lab during weekends, happily making experiements and taking data points... but that there was little time (or energy more like it) to go somewhere and relax on the weekend, or for a few days. Most times I was happy to go home and do laundry, cook some food and go grocery shopping. Oh, and read books in bed. Just sleeping was also a wonderful thing.

In my present job, I've been able to not work on the weekends. Yey. It has lead me to not only have a social life (yes I know, quite the difference ...) but also to work out really regularly (with subsequent weight loss and looking - if I may say so - much healthier and glowy) and - like I'm doing this weekend - going out of town to enjoy the wildness outside!

The comments from my co-workers have been in the line of "Again? Weren't you away that weekend in April, and in May and your relatives were here a moment ago and you left town then too" ... Why, yes I was.  And I will go away again in a few weeks (canoe and rafting!). And then there will hopefully be something fun i September again.... and probably some sort of trip outside of town for Thanksgiving. And then there is Christmas and I am not having more plans than that.... but Florida is looking pretty interesting. Or a simple repeat of last years' Christmas back in Sweden. Who knows?

It's been like when "before the post doc" and stuff happened. Like a "regular" native of my old country. Weekend trips to the country side, or going hiking for the Saturday and enjoying the forest and not having cell phone reception... And during this time thinking a little about work (it's hard to disconnect all the time) and more thoughts on life and what the future plans should be (children? moving? what kind of work to get?) but most of all it's been a very good reminder that life is so much more than "wake up, go to work, maybe have a beer/exercise, go home, read some, go to sleep" please rinse and repeat.

On top of this nature reconnection that I have been enjoying lately, I've been involved in social work, or what ever to call voulonteering at hospitals/hospices to help people who are in a dire situation and in need of some contact with people who need some care? It's been extremely rewarding to be able to give help and support to someone who is in a dark place and know that what ever little I can do will hopefully help them through what ever the hardships they or their loved ones are going through.

In short, I might not know where I am going in the future - but I feel pretty good about the current situation where I've managed to establish something outside of my lab life.... not to mention that I have been able to help some people through hard situations. It's all about relationships - and what you can build together.

I'll stop with my happy glow ranting with a little cute tidbit; "If you have no regrets, you need to get out more." :)

Next blog post will probably be something of all the things I ended up with on my mentoring session...