We've had Halloween candy around the inn all month and I have eaten my fair share. It seems fitting, then, that on Halloween I call it quits.
I have already had my Whole 30 breakfast, today. I start each day strong, but my resolve weakens throughout the day. Today will be day one of Whole 30. All the way. No sugar, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no seed oils. I'm forgetting one of the no's, I'm sure, but what is more important is what I can eat, eggs, healthy meats, vegetables, fruit, clarified butter and olive oil for cooking. I will drink plenty of water. Oh, no alcohol.
Yesterday, I went for a 45 minute walk (to inspect the high water and damaged roads in the neighborhood) and I lifted weights for 30 minutes. My exercise routine is becoming a habit, again. That is a GOOD thing!! I am getting plenty of sleep. Also a GOOD thing!! Now I have to beat back the sugar demon. Once that is under control I will be well on my to feeling good again, physically and emotionally.
We have 53 days left and I want to make the most of them. We are slow this week, we only had 3 guests in house last night and we will only have 2 guests in house tonight, with no check ins. It is hard to describe what a relief it is to be slow, finally, after being so busy for so long. Tomorrow, FINALLY, I will have an entire day off. That will be my first day off since mid-September. Carla and I have been able to take afternoons off, but we have been too busy to be able to take entire days off, as we have both had to work breakfast everyday through this crazy busy season.
I have already fed my solo traveler breakfast and he has checked out. He wanted to eat at 7, breakfast usually starts at 8, but I could tell that he really wanted to make the most out of his day, so I said 7 was fine. It doesn't make much difference to me. With it this slow it is easy to prep for breakfast and I figured between his breakfast and my honeymooners' breakfast (probably close to 10) I could get a lot done; like put up a blog post!
After 10 months and 12 days at the Bernerhof Inn, I can say with confidence that I like being an innkeeper. It's easy to see why this is not the life for a lot of people. There are always people around, whether it is guests, vendors, housekeepers, or the handyman. If you need privacy in your life, if you don't like living in a fishbowl, don't be an innkeeper. The job requires a lot of management skills. Even if you don't have a lot of staff, you still have a lot of people that you depend on keep the machine running smoothly. There are dozens of people that touch this inn in some way during a typical month. All of them are important, so it is important to manage all of these relationships carefully. Jack and I are planning on purchasing a largish bed & breakfast, probably in the neighborhood of 12 - 16 rooms, if we can find one we like that we can afford. In that case we will have at least a couple of permanent staff members. Again, being a good manager is essential to an inns success. It's not all about cooking breakfast and cleaning rooms, though that is part of it. Being a successful innkeeper, for the long haul, requires a skillset that is very broad. Yes, you better know how to cook, because even if you are not the primary cook you will be cooking on slow days and on days when the primary cook is not available. Same with cleaning rooms. I plan on owning an inn that is big enough to support a housekeeping staff, but I need to be willing and able to clean rooms in a pinch. You need to be a good bookkeeper, a manager, a handyman, a florist, a baker, and a landscaper. Oh, and you need to be a good marketer (that is my weakest skill, at this point) You need to be a problem solver, because problems pop up all day long. I think all of this explains why I really do like being an innkeeper. I like that it requires a vast array of skills and disciplines. I like that I am constantly called on to solve problems. I like having people around.
That said, it is incredibly difficult to do this without my husband. I miss him terribly. I know not having him here has made it harder for me to take care of myself, so I drug myself with sugar and alcohol when I am feeling lonely and blue. When I daydream about having him by my side, doing this with me, as my partner, I realize how much I miss him and how that really is the missing piece. It's hard not to be anxious to get this step over with so I can get home, kiss my darling husband, and start looking for OUR inn.
The next 53 days are not about figuring out how to be an innkeeper or if I want to be an innkeeper. I have already figured that out. The next 53 days are going to be about getting as healthy as I can, getting as fit as I can, taking care of myself, training Jeremiah and Lisseth to take over, packing, and planning the next steps. I am shifting into the transition phase. We will not be busy, except on weekends. I will have time to take care of myself. I will be living with Jackie again, very soon. This gig is wrapping up. I want to feel fabulous on December 22nd when I pick Jack up from the airport. I want to be well rested when we start our journey home! I will take care of myself for these next 53 days. I can't undo all the damage in the weeks I have left, here, but I can make a lot of progress.
Exercise, diet, water, sleep. Avoid all sugar, wheat and alcohol. I got this.
Have a great day!!!!!!!!! I know I will!!!!!!!!
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