My 10 Big Takeaways from 6 Weeks Away

The trip wasn't what I expected, but was damn near perfect. Except for #7.

Arriving home after my six-week trip to Portland feels…weird.

It’s surreal as hell to think that just days ago I was strolling up NW 13th, sitting in Tanner Springs park with a book, and grabbing one last cocktail with a friend at Teardrop.

I can see the trip in its entirety, from the fumbling first days where it didn’t feel real through to knowing how much I’d miss it in those final days, and it feels wholly appropriate to pause the throes of jetlag and try to distil some of what I learned.

1. Switch to Music

When I’m home in the UK there’s a good chance that either LBC radio or the TV are chattering away in the background.

But in the apartment I started putting music on when I got up, and having playlists going when I was hanging out or writing there.

It feels so much lighter.

2. Interest in my Characters

Getting back to writing the novel has been clunky and slow, but one of the unexpected joys is how interested I am in the characters and how I can’t wait to see what happens to them.

I keep finding little corners of their past and little quirks to their thinking, and seeing things play out is gonna be fascinating.

I haven’t hit writing flow yet, but the cogs are oiled and turning.

3. A Sense of Expansiveness

I felt some trepidation when I walked back into my flat after six weeks.

It’s within these four walls that I wrapped myself up in safety and numbed myself from grief. And the last thing I want is to step back into that.

But the space actually felt larger.

And after a couple of days at home I feel like I can expand into my day, rather than being confined, constrained or controlled by it.

Home feels more like a platform for possibility.

4. Two Rocks Glasses

I’m a whore for good glassware.

And as my little collection of bourbons has grown I’ve been looking all over for rocks glasses that have that Goldilocks “just right” factor. Not stupidly heavy. Not over-designed. Clean. Elegant. And it’s gotta feel good in the hand.

I’m really fussy, but a cute store called kabinett had so many gorgeous glasses that it took a huge amount of discipline to only buy two.

Cheers.

5. Energy to Read

I hadn’t picked up a book in over two years before this trip. I tried a couple of times in the summer of ‘22, but at the time my brain just didn’t work that way.

I read three novels while in Portland, and it’s been bloody wonderful to be taken someplace else and experience the unfolding of story page by page.

That I now have the energy and focus to read is huge.

6. Unrelenting Gratitude for Honest Conversations

I had more meaningful conversations over six weeks than I’ve had in the last four years.

Touching, brave, funny, real, sad, insightful, surreal, hopeful and everything in between, hearing my friends’ experiences and expressing my own story in all kinds of ways has been a genuine privilege.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

7. Have, or Be Near, Imodium

I hadn’t counted on being laid out for a week with food poisoning, and was ill-equipped.

An important lesson, learned.

8. An Appreciation of Suffering

Every friend I spoke with has had it tough these last couple of years.

One has gone through a challenging break-up and divorce, one has just received the all-clear from prostate cancer after several procedures and a lot of treatment, another is grieving lost friendships, one is feeling isolated, and on and on.

Adversity, grief and struggle are commonplace.

And as I emerge from these things myself I’m developing a fresh appreciation of suffering.

Because it’s these crucible moments that shape our stories, show us what matters, and help us become more than we were.

9. Being a Decent Human Being Matters

I made some wonderful connections simply by treating hospitality workers with respect and as real humans, to the point where there were a number of genuinely affectionate goodbye hugs on my last couple of days in town.

That sense of “lemme try to not be a dick here” also extends to being present for someone else, saying thanks and meaning it, lending an ear, helping a friend in need and so much more.

Considering how tough many of us have had it recently, being a decent human being matters more than ever.

10. Feels like I’m Onto Something

Picture a Venn diagram. One circle is someone who’s going through some adversity or upheaval, a time when they feel personally challenged like never before.

The second circle is someone who’s a founder, solopreneur or in a leadership position, who’s had to deal with relentless uncertainty and change since the pandemic.

That intersection is someone who’s feeling worn thin, wants out of survival mode and needs fresh ways to engage. That’s where I lean in now, and honestly, it feels more relevant than ever.

So you see…

…as clunky and rusty and different and challenging as my 6 weeks in Portland were, it was really kinda perfect.

It gave me what I needed, not what I might have wanted.