Alternatively, I could call this post “take time for leaf peeping”! I have had the good fortune to spend a lot of time on the road in northern New England this past summer – something I had not done in all the years 
I lived in the Boston area. New England is now approaching its peak fall glory. The 5-hour weekly drive from Providence to Burlington for my interim engagement was quite spectacular this week. Yet the colors were probably only a third of what they will be in another week or two.
A few years ago, I wrote a post called “Time to stop and smell the roses”. I commented then on the need to create routines that include think time, reading, reflection, relaxing and taking care of ourselves.
We spend our days in meetings or looking at computer screens. We spend many hours when not at work looking at our smart phones. But we don’t spend enough time appreciating the beauty surrounding us. When I’m doing that long drive each week, there’s not much I can do other than look at the scenery and of course the road! A few calls maybe and plenty of listening to the news, but I am always looking as I drive.
As our team at University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) approaches the big Epic go live in just over 30 days, it is important that we take care of ourselves and stay healthy. For me, a key component of self-care is taking time to slow down and enjoy the beauty around me.
When driving my weekly commute or my daily commute from the hotel to my office, or looking out the window from one of our conference rooms (we have an incredible view of the Adirondack Mountains), or walking along Lake Champlain at sunset, I am reminded of the beauty surrounding us. We are all working very long days and focused on a successful go live November 1st. But taking time to enjoy this incredible changing of the colors is something I will do when I can. All too soon the yellows, oranges and reds will be gone, and we will be left with bare trees and brown landscape and then snow. For this first official week of fall, I’ll focus on the beauty of this season and try not to think of the snow to come.
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