It’s been a while.

A good friend once defined an excuse as “the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie’. So I won’t offer excuses. I’ve been bogged down in urgent tasks both important and not so important.

Now it’s past time to return to creativity and vitality. I am summonsing up courage to share that recently I hit a virtual speed bump when one of our key employees sent me her resignation.  With 15 years’ experience employing qualified health professionals in a rural town I know that they are not usually queueing up the moment a position is available.

To complicate matters, I have an adventure in the calendar. It’s a 4WD adventure with friends and I am excited about wheeling out of my comfort zone, about exploring places I’ve never seen before, and relishing time with friends, far enough removed from the responsibilities of everyday life to unwind and reset.

I felt despondent about the option of going on my adventure regardless and neglecting my practice members or missing out on this adventure and disappointing not only myself but my family and close friends who have put hours of effort into planning this experience.

Sleep for me is restorative and I’m at my best in the morning. The day after reading the email which sent me down, down, down, I made a list of people who might be able to help me find a solution.

In my ‘lunch break’ that day I sent out emails and text messages explaining my predicament and asking if these people would spread the work amongst their network. Then I went for a short stroll in the sunshine. Returning to my office for the afternoons appointments I felt hopeful and lighter in heart and mind. As I wrote in my journal “action dispels despondency”.

The next morning a smile lit up my face as replies to my messages came flooding back. By the afternoon I had someone organised to cover for me and look after our practice members while I go on the long-awaited adventure. The icing on this cake was the messages of support I received, positive reinforcement that others have my back.

It appeals to me that vitality does not mean living a charmed life. Instead it’s fostering the resilience to get back up again when life sends us a challenge. It’s finding the rainbow amongst the clouds.