One of my New Year’s resolutions (which I adopted in March/April, rather than at New Year’s) was that one weekend a month I am going to get “out of town”.

Now that means that I am staying out of Panama City, somewhere away from the office, away from the world I get so caught up in, and go somewhere that I am free to contemplate and think clearly. Somewhere that I can update my blog, and think about where I am supposed to be going, and where I seem to actually be going while on autopilot.

Why do we get so caught up that we can’t see the forest for the trees? I am so busy answering and returning phone calls that I forget what it’s all about. Why do I have this many clients? Why do I have 15 employees? Emails and my inbox take control, rather than me controling them.

So, I’ve resolved to leave town once a month. Get far enough out of range of the phones and internet (which is why I am sitting here with a wireless connection, updating my blog, oops), and take some time out to look at the big picture.

Okay, so maybe still in range of the phone and internet, just away from the paperwork and feeling an obligation to return those phonecalls today or answer those emails right now.

Here I am, sitting on Lisa’s terrace overlooking the valley, with the relaxing sound of the river rushing over the little waterfalls and rocks down below. There are birds chirping, and some humming birds and butterflies flitting from flower to flower about 10 metres away.

Yesterday was sheer bliss, we walked along the river (and found a snake crossing the swinging bridge that we were going to cross – so allowed him/her to finish crossing before we started), went and had massages to relax, and then sat by the pool for 2 hours, in which I devoured a book “The Undomestic Goddess”.

Talk about identifying with the main character.  Scary.  Can’t cook.  Don’t know what an iron is used for.   I almost cried when I read her comments about the vacuum cleaner bags – “what do you need to put the vacuum cleaner in a bag for?”.  You buy food, put it neatly in the fridge, and then throw it all out once it’s past its use-by date.

Of course I plan to start taking time out to learn to cook really well.  I’m going to buy myself a huge gourmet cookbook (like the one Lisa has), and start preparing those sumptious salad dressings, and healthy pancakes with buckwheat, raisins and bananas (which is what we had for breakfast yesterday morning before our walk).

So, a day without the computer on, and the mobile turned off.  Today, of course, I got the itch to write, so out comes the laptop.  But I promise I’m not working.  Just writing.  No contracts.  No emails.  Just letting my fingers do the walking.

But once a month, I’m going to give myself time out.  I’m not going to continue being that undomestic goddess, the one that is running from office to home (to sleep), ordering in Chinese takeout and pizza, and ruled by her phone and email.  For just two days out of 30, I’m hopping off the treadmill.