Last week I took off in the middle of the week and went to chase balloons.
Typically I work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but I flexed my time so all got done that needed to get done. This was not something that could be planned.
It wouldn't have been able to happen if I didn't have a boss who trusts me with flexibility. His response when Itold him my plan? "Sounds like fun. Pretty skies." (Thanks Stan Park !)
These balloons were gas balloons that were part of a distance race called the Gordon Bennett. Usually it is held in Europe and I am admittedly obsessed with it. It had been 16 years since it had been in our country. I was excited to see balloons headed toward me.
Well, though two balloons landed in North Carolina and several in Georgia, I wasn't able to catch any of them - but what fun it was to try. I think I traversed the interstate between Georgia and South Carolina about six times at one point, as one I was trying to catch landed and I switched to another that I figured would land soon (and they did, but I was too late to the scene.) The next day I tried again, but had another near miss (I was truly bummed because they are ballooning legends). I knew the only remaining balloon up was a bit too far away for a good shot at seeing it land.
These balloons, by the way, launched in Albuquerque and the winning team and first runner-up were in the air for four nights (there are two pilots, so they do sleep). Many of the others flew for three. The winners, from France, flew 1,654 miles.
Why am I posting this on Linked In? Obviously not to show off my mediocre tracking abilities.
I put in a whole week of work (granted, I only work part time), and had an unforgettable adventure. Though I didn't catch any balloons (darn it), it was nothing but fun. Trying to anticipate the routes and decisions of the pilots is a great brain exercise and I had a lot of almosts in there.
Life is short and we should live it well. I'm lucky enough to work within an infrastructure that allows me to follow my bliss. I wish that for everyone. Go for the experiences - and the bosses that encourage them.
#flexibility #timeoff #worklifebalance
(Screen shot from the YB Races App.)