The title of this entry, “Eyes Open”, is a little more abstract. It’s a phrase that kept popping into my mind during these first few weeks of hog-keeping. It’s also the name of a rather good album by Snow Patrol.
It’s been quite a challenging time, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve had a few steep learning curves over the past couple of years, mostly job related, and although I’ve valued the development opportunities each one has given me, they’ve not been much fun. It’s nice to have something positive to work on. I’ve had a few low moments where fragments of doubt have tried to sneak their way in but overall I’m enjoying the experience. It’s opened my eyes to a whole new set of wonders. Wonders about the way I do things, the way I learn, the way I adapt to change and the wonders of the hog herself. It’s also forced me to observe more fully and reflect more deeply instead of taking in a blinkered view of what I think I know. Eyes open indeed.
I started writing this post a few days ago, wanting to write down everything I’d learned so far. It started to run on into a long and potentially boring list and I didn’t finish it. I was also worried it was all I would ever get to write about. So how about this? You’ve got the general idea that I am learning lots so from here on in I’ll post my lessons a few at a time. That way none of us get “hogged down”. (I’ve also learned that my penchant for terrible puns has not gone away.) Rest assured more tales of the hog will appear in the near future. In the meantime stay well and keep those eyes open.