I've never been one to slow down, let alone stop. When I wrapped up my work on Kinja in late April, I assumed I'd take a week or two to think about stuff and then dive back into work: write some articles, hit a conference or two, and pick up some consulting projects. And of course, at the same time, I'd be planning what big thing to do next: start another company or maybe develop a non-profit aimed at getting blogging into public schools. And then I realized a few things. I was exhausted and still hadn't shaken a throat infection I've had since early March. I had no perspective on anything, I was so deep into my world of weblogs and tech that I didn't have much sense of what was going on outside of my geek circles. And most importantly and luckily, I had some savings. I looked at my bank account and realized that financially there was no reason for me to immediately push into new projects.
I've been burning my candle at both ends for years now, and decided it was time to stop. Emotionally I was drained. Physically I was drained. I might stop for a few weeks, maybe for a few months, I haven't decided. Part of the plan is to not plan so much, not worry about the future, to just enjoy the present and experience it. I'm calling it my sabbatical. I'm going to Nantucket for a while. I may post to this site a lot, but I may not post at all. I'm going to read and go running and take pictures and spend time with family. And sleep. And just be.