Here, where the world is quiet

I’m back from a week off and need to catch up on things a bit! But first, an editorial…

I just spent a week away from work and out of town and, because of a couple of odd circumstances, found myself cut off from the rest of the world. Work, news, e-mail, voicemail, smoke signals, you name it, I was out of the loop. At first it was a little disconcerting (“Michael Jackson died? You’re kidding, right?”), but then I found it truly therapeutic. That’s not to say I was ignoring responsibilities or avoiding the outside world, I was really just focusing on a narrow bandwidth of tasks and taking the time to decompress a bit.

What is a vacation if your job goes with you? For that matter, what is a golf game or a visit with friends or an hour or two working in your garden if you are constantly “in touch?” We all need to allow ourselves down time - an opportunity to engage in a favorite hobby, pastime or exercise without interruptions or distractions. There only seem to be a few places left where we turn our eyes and ears away from our phones, blackberries or computers to really listen and experience the moment. Even in those sacrosanct moments, you can still be connected if you happen to be an avid and stealthy texter (is that a real word?). And all of those examples tend to be dictated by outside forces; when we ourselves are the ones in charge, we can’t seem to resist the latest celebrity sighting or call from someone we talked to 20 minutes ago. I truly fear for our collective sanity if we no longer desire to be alone with ourselves and the people most important to us. If that means you miss my blog a couple of times, then by all means do so - to your own self be true.

There are many great things happening on and around our Magnolia Drive campus this month: several of our camps wind up in the next week or two, and several more begin. ArtWorks continues through the end of this month with daily music and art offerings happening all over, from Wade Oval to our own Glick Recital Hall. Stop by during the day and hear the terrific Jazz @ The Settlement Orchestra rehearsing - they are awesome! Wade Oval Wednesdays (WOW!) continue throughout the summer with great food, terrific music, and other attractions. In my own neighborhood, the Coventry Street Fair returns for its second date this summer on July 16^th from 6pm to 9pm, which is a great and unique event. Many other local institutions have summer fun events going on, including the reopened galleries at the Museum of Art, and the wonderful Children’s Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. Jump on your bike, turn off your cell phone and experience a summer full of music, art and long lasting memories.

You can text your friends about it when you get back home…

Have a great week!