Wow, can’t believe it’s been almost 1.5 months since my last post.

What happened? Life happened. Suddenly there was a white water rush of work demands and personal activities, and the regular discipline of writing and reflecting took a back seat. I had not realized just how long I have been away from my blog. In fact, this morning when I logged in, I thought it would only have been at most 2 to 3 weeks since I last wrote. Reality was double the perception.

Lesson learnt – conscious mindfulness needed all the more when one is caught in the midst of a maelstrom that sometimes life becomes.

So what in my life happened in the 6 weeks since mid March?

• caught up with a few old friends whom I have not seen in years
• took the kids out to sea on a boat
• completed a 40 day Lenten fast and abstinence which renewed me
• bid farewell to a few friends who were leaving for new adventures in other companies/countries
• went to Tokyo for work and caught Cherry Blossoms in full bloom for the first time
• went through an intense period of data analytics in preparation for next fiscal year’s people and diversity & inclusion plans
• hosted an external networking meeting for fellow D&I practitioners from 50 companies to discuss D&I in Asia
• settled ancillary matters to do with asset division in my divorce
• bought a new used car
• ramped up Microsoft’s involvement in LGBT in Asia both internally and externally
• and all the above while dealing with the day-to-day fun and challenges of a 4 children household and navigating office politics

So, been busy, busy, busy. And the ebbs and flows is to be expected. In earlier posts, I shared how I enjoyed a flexible work culture in Microsoft and I posted interesting insights into what I sometimes did during “office hours” in my childrens’ lives and where I did my work. Well, the flip side that isn’t usually posted is that when work ramps up, the reasonable expectation is to hunker down. Doesn’t mean that I am less there for my kids and their activities, but other things tended to give, such as writing this blog and spending time reflecting and being mindful and … ensuring I stay connected to friends.

And on that last note, now that the waters are calmer again, and I am once again able to reflect, I am hugely conscious of what did not happen. Pulling on the now somewhat loose tether of my relationships with my closest friends, I am mindful that one of my closest friends was in the midst of a separation and another had a major operation in this period. So life happened for them even as it happened for me but what did not happen was the intersection between our lives. And I am gutted.

So even as I now spend time recovering, reflecting and writing, it is also time for renewing and spending time with friends. And to learn an important lesson to consciously paddle with my friends when the waters of life gets fast and furious.