When you fly into Australia direct from another international destination like Singapore, Los Angeles or London, country law dictates the airline must decontaminate the airplane for any potential insecticides before anyone may disembark the plane. If it’s your first time to Australia you might think you’re on the set of the movie Ghostbusters or worse, caught up in an international flu pandemic.
Once the landing has completed and the pilot has pulled the plane up to the gate, flight attendants parade up and down the aisles spraying a World Health Organization approved aerosol disinfectant. You have no idea what it is, but there is an implicit trust that Australia — and by association, the flight attendants — know what they’re doing. They’re acting on behalf of the interests of an entire country.
I find myself needing to apply some form of disinfectant to the fuselage that makes up my current professional projects.
In particular, I’ve recognized over the past several weeks that if I want the Dual Purpose book project to safely and successfully disembark, my own patterns and behaviours must change.
I have a case of the sophomore book blues. To combat it and to ensure I improve the final result, I’ve decided to take a sabbatical from all other forms of social. That includes contributing, participating or mingling in personal/professional social networks whether face-to-face or digital. This includes coffees, beers, and lunches. This includes other forms of writing.
As hard as it might be for someone who draws his energy from other people, a 60km bike ride today put things into perspective.
I need a different strategy.
Thus, I’m applying the disinfectant.
Call it the ‘sophomore blues sabbatical’. (that should be the name of a band)
See you on the other side, whenever that is.
