What I did on my summer vacation; what stayed behind, what came with me and what I got to know

It was common in September when I was young to present to your new grade-school class a summary of your summer experiences. It was mostly camp and swimming and reading and watching TV. The purpose of the exercise was to “sign off” the summer in a way, and clear our minds in preparation for the coming challenges of learning and growth that moving to a new grade promised.

I am back from two weeks holiday sailing Lake Ontario, leaving from Toronto to circumnavigate Prince Edward County.

The promise of all holidays is that you get to leave things behind. Shackles of commitments and responsibilities are broken and something undefinable is somehow briefly released. The anticipation of all holidays is to experience something magical, where the tragedy of life is suspended and the sun of a another, better reality shines.

The surprise of all holidays is what ends up coming with you, what remains bound and how often the sun of that new reality slips behind a cloud.

I was determined during this holiday not to be naive. I did not load it with expectations of freedom it could not deliver. The result was very satisfying. It gave me an opportunity to discover more about the only person, occupation or thing that a holiday can’t free me from…me.

I could answer questions like: Do I get angry because my job puts too much pressure on me to perform, or am I just an angry guy? Am I really an early riser, or do I just do that to avoid bad traffic? Do I love my wife for who she is, or because of what she does? Do I write for a builder’s magazine because I really care about builders or do I just like the paycheque?

I have my answers. All I will say here is that it was a great holiday and, as regards my affinity for builders, you’ll have to judge me by my actions.

Holidays are very hard to come by for owners of small reno companies. But if you ever get one, however short, be mindful of what stays behind and what comes with you. There are lessons in there for you to become a better version of you and a stronger, smarter competitor in your marketplace.