Tonight Jack got peaches for dinner. He seemed to enjoy them well enough, but each bite resulted in a hilarious “sour face”. We were all laughing hysterically and Jack thought he was a star. Win, win.

Over the last few years I’ve sort of grown into the practice of taking walks during my work day. I’ve been pretty lucky to work in positions where my day is not planned for me down to the minute and as a result, I’ve found that taking a couple walks during the day really helps to clear my head and recharge my batteries. I don’t remember exactly when I started walking during breaks, but during my time at eBay Zach and Rawlyn and I found walking to be a better alternative than sitting in the break room for 15 minutes. So each day during both our morning and afternoon breaks we would venture outside for a circuit around the eBay campus. Initially this was strictly a fair weather tradition, but as we became more dependent on these daily excursions we began walking regardless of the weather and we found ourselves not really caring if there was a blizzard outside.

I think that we initially began taking these walks because it was nice to spend some time under the sun on a nice summer day, but we quickly found that there were some unexpected benefits. Not only did this provide us with some “water cooler” time, it also gave us a chance to get out from under the fluorescent lighting. We were able to get some physical activity (which we otherwise severely lacked on a daily basis) and most importantly, it got us out of the work mindset for a bit. I think this last item was the key to why this practice became such an important part of our day. Even on the very most busy and frustrating days, a quick walk around campus allowed us to think about anything and everything other than work for a bit. And on the days when we did talk about work, it always turned out to be a rather cathartic vent session which was good in a different way.

Well… 3 years and a new job later Zach and I still find ourselves keeping to this tradition on a daily basis. Although there are occasionally days that we’re just too busy to break away, whenever possible we escape and take a quick walk around the Omniture campus. And as my days become busier and my clients become more demanding, it seems like these quick strolls become an even more vital part of my day. So if you ever feel yourself getting to the breaking point and if you happen to have the ability and the time to get away for a few minutes, head outside and take a quick 15 minute walk to clear your head. It’ll do wonders for your sanity and on those really tough days it will provide you with a reinvigorated will to live.