One thing I have done because of kiting...
Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 10:04 pm
...is completely redefine the word "priority". It's a very grey area now with respects to all things not related to kiting.
For the past 2 years I now:
- schedule my client meetings around the wind
- and if there is wind in a location where I am meeting a client...they get scheduled according to the forecast.
- I have had meetings in a client's office where I am looking out the window during the meeting and watching the trees bend under 20 kt wind...all the while counting the minutes until the meeting ended.
- when I tell a client I need to check my schedule it means "Let me first check the forecast"
- I have taken client calls in between sessions. I would arrive at the launch spot...look at my watch and know that I had 60 minutes before a mandatory call with a client. Rigged up...jumped on the water...thrown a boat load of tricks...landed most...wiped out on some...then kited a heading all the way out to flats only to realize I had lost track of time and then b line like a crack addict back to shore...dropped my kite in rapid fashion and taken the call to conduct business. Then hoped right back on the kite as soon as the call is done.
- When I travel on vacation to kite...you will NEVER be able to reach me anymore. Period. I used to take vacation meeting calls on snowboarding trips on the side of a mountain in the middle of a long run but since kiting I completely disconnect from the planet.
- I now have many more "Dr. appointments" than I did before kiting
- and apparently all of my Dr. appointments now last between 2 and 4 hours.
- I have put off purchases of other items around or for the house and reallocated those funds to kiting gear. That leaky roof is fine! We won't hit the rainy season for another 5 months. Time for a new kite or new board!
Edited to add:
- the grass no longer gets cut with any regularity either. I have literally been in the middle of doing yard work when all of a sudden the wind kicks up and I drop everything like its the plague so I can go kite. Luckily I have one cool, chill woman. She actually encourages me to go kite whenever the wind is up so with a supporter like that I can never go wrong.
- and the final kicker is this...I have an opportunity to take a new role at a new company where I would essentially double my income but the trade off is I will be back to 75% travel which means no more flexibility like I have today which means waaaaay less kiting. No joke...I am 85% sure I won't take the position because of this. I guess I look at it as money can't buy me more time on the water so why lose that time?
Crazy right? But when I hit the water...man...everything in the world just balances out and I am in my state of Zen.
I have never been addicted to anything but this has to be pretty damn close to what addiction feels like.
For the past 2 years I now:
- schedule my client meetings around the wind
- and if there is wind in a location where I am meeting a client...they get scheduled according to the forecast.
- I have had meetings in a client's office where I am looking out the window during the meeting and watching the trees bend under 20 kt wind...all the while counting the minutes until the meeting ended.
- when I tell a client I need to check my schedule it means "Let me first check the forecast"
- I have taken client calls in between sessions. I would arrive at the launch spot...look at my watch and know that I had 60 minutes before a mandatory call with a client. Rigged up...jumped on the water...thrown a boat load of tricks...landed most...wiped out on some...then kited a heading all the way out to flats only to realize I had lost track of time and then b line like a crack addict back to shore...dropped my kite in rapid fashion and taken the call to conduct business. Then hoped right back on the kite as soon as the call is done.
- When I travel on vacation to kite...you will NEVER be able to reach me anymore. Period. I used to take vacation meeting calls on snowboarding trips on the side of a mountain in the middle of a long run but since kiting I completely disconnect from the planet.
- I now have many more "Dr. appointments" than I did before kiting
- and apparently all of my Dr. appointments now last between 2 and 4 hours.
- I have put off purchases of other items around or for the house and reallocated those funds to kiting gear. That leaky roof is fine! We won't hit the rainy season for another 5 months. Time for a new kite or new board!
Edited to add:
- the grass no longer gets cut with any regularity either. I have literally been in the middle of doing yard work when all of a sudden the wind kicks up and I drop everything like its the plague so I can go kite. Luckily I have one cool, chill woman. She actually encourages me to go kite whenever the wind is up so with a supporter like that I can never go wrong.
- and the final kicker is this...I have an opportunity to take a new role at a new company where I would essentially double my income but the trade off is I will be back to 75% travel which means no more flexibility like I have today which means waaaaay less kiting. No joke...I am 85% sure I won't take the position because of this. I guess I look at it as money can't buy me more time on the water so why lose that time?
Crazy right? But when I hit the water...man...everything in the world just balances out and I am in my state of Zen.
I have never been addicted to anything but this has to be pretty damn close to what addiction feels like.
