Wow, the year has sprinted out the gate. The winter holidays already seem like a long time ago, especially when it’s so sunny and mild here in Marin County. Still, I keep thinking about some realizations I had while digging out from the massive storms in the Sierra Nevada in January. I was on a snowy vacation, and I didn’t turn on my computer for seven days straight. (I hope you enjoyed some version of that yourself. After another tough year, we all deserve to unplug and recharge in whatever way feels right to us.)

The truth is, I’m not always so intentional about disconnecting when I’m away on an adventure, whether by myself, with friends, or with my husband. I’m as guilty as the next person of convincing myself that if I step away from my work, some sort of crisis will ensue. How will my clients possibly manage without me? The world (or, at least, my small part of it) will fall apart if I don’t respond right away to emails and texts, right?