I’m on a train heading home from Boston to New York. It’s been a great summer—I’m so lucky to have such a peaceful and relaxing retreat and to be able to spend so much time with family.
I can’t say it has been great for my bridge, though. My intention was to keep my training momentum going, but it didn’t happen. Other than work with Greg on Cuebids—which was not as regular as we would have liked—I can’t claim much in the way of bridge study. I didn’t read a word of a bridge book. I still haven’t finished Thinking Fast and Slow. I did a few robot tournaments, but nothing approaching one per day. I didn’t do any VuGraph study. Greg and I did very little system work.
I’m not beating myself up about it; I’m observing without judgment. Part of the program this year is figuring out what is realistic. I can set a goal of keeping up the bridge program during the summer, but when every hour I spend in the basement feels like a missed opportunity to spend time with my family, doing a lot of bridge doesn’t seem to be realistic. I made a commitment to prioritize bridge this year, but it seems I was unwilling to prioritize it above family.
I think that’s a good thing. I want to prioritize family. I’m sure there is a balance—I could have certainly done more bridge than I did without losing out on too much quality family time. But it’s important to know that if I’m going to spend August on Cape Cod—which I very much intend to continue doing—expecting to maintain the same level of bridge work is not realistic. That’s fine. I have no interest in being so singly focused that I lose my humanity and forget what’s important in my life.
As I head back to New York, I really want to make sure that I hit the ground running. I often find that transitions like this offer an opportunity for procrastination, and I’m intent on not letting that happen. I have scheduled a session with my coach this week to help get me started on the right track. Greg and I have scheduled a resumption of our weekly practice sessions, and we’re working on scheduling a weekly game with some teammates.
Routine is very important for me, so I’m setting up a morning schedule to get my days started with some forward trajectory. I have gotten out of the practice of meditating this summer, so that’s number one on my morning to-do list. Then a pot of tea and half an hour or so reading a bridge book. After that, it’s an hour or two of bridge practice of some sort—a robot tournament, some Bridge Master, working through system notes, studying VuGraph. Then I can start in on the day. We’ll see how that goes.
I have scheduled almost no midweek concerts or plays this fall, so I can make sure to get to bed early and get plenty of sleep. That’s where it all starts. I am most productive and alert in the mornings, so I want to wake up as early as I can to maximize that time. That means an early bedtime. I can make that happen.
I’m looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of bridge study. I really enjoy reading bridge books and studying VuGraph and doing Bridge Master and working with Greg. I like recording the robot tournaments for all of you; it really helps me to slow down and clarify my thinking. I just need to remember to not let it feel like work.
Have a great week!
Need to finish writing up Philadelphia, Part 2 (up to article number 8). When do you get to celebrate the High Holy Days? We also have tournaments coming up in Atlanta, Cleveland (Grade A's like annual sectionals) and Hanover, Maryland (Eastern Section). The one in Hanover is more like a half-regional.
Balance is hard to achieve