What I learned by being unemployed for a weekend

Like a lot of people, I have one of those jobs that does not end when you leave the office...middle of the night on a tarmac, hard landings on the weekend, body parts during dinner, its pretty much a 24/7 deal.

I always told myself (and my wife) that the up side is that, with blackberries and cell phones, it didn't matter where I was - I could even take calls about GAAP vs Pro Forma on the beach in the South of France.

Of course, while my body was free to spend time with the family, my mind never was ... a quick check of the Blackberry, a call to the office or just tossing and turning thinking about messaging for a Sunday talkshow.

I walked out of FedEx on Friday afternoon and an amazing thing happened ... nothing. I got up Saturday and there were no messages, no reporters, I actually had breakfast with Maia without getting worked up about some idiot somewhere in the back of my mind.

It was amazing how much more clearly you see things when you are not distracted by the echo chamber. I am going to do Maia a favor and not get her a Blackberry until she's in college.

Well, my brief unemployment will end in the morning. I hope that I can remember something that Fred told me a long time ago, but I never did a very good job of living up to - "Be where you're at". One thing I know, there is a new Blackberry waiting in my office when I get there.

Change vs. Comfort

So, today we begin a new journey as a family. The transition from Memphis to Silicon Valley -- as well as a new job, new schools, new yoga studios and oh my God do they have baby sitters in California? -- has raised the issue of change vs. comfort. As much as you may complain about the place you live, it's inevitable that you become attached to people, places and of course baby sitters. Slowly, you become comfortable with your route to work, restaurants where two-year-olds are welcome, a network of friends and the idea of change becomes more and more frightening. It is always easy to stay, but without change life is no fun.

After 11 years and lives in New York, New Jersey, Mexico City, Memphis, Philadelphia and the South of France, we're once again spitting in comfort's face and opting for change. As always, my feelings are best expressed by a line from a movie, Morgan Freeman's character in The Shawshank Redemption said:

“I find I am so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel; a free man at the start of a long journey, whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border."

Off we go once more. I don't know what will happen, but I hope that Tim Robbins will be building me a boat when I get there!