Aren't you excited about your sabbatical?

I get this question a lot lately.  My answer is always the same:  "No."  Each time I say that, people look at me like mushrooms have started to sprout from my nose, so I thought I'd explain why.

When I'm working, I'm all about focus.  Keep the goal in sight, take a step forward, clear any obstacles you encounter, repeat.  I context-swap very quickly and easily, but whatever I'm working on at any given moment gets as much of me as I can give it. 

What I'm working on now is very important to me:  Doing my best to help prepare PT for my absence.  I know the company will be fine for seven weeks without me even if I miss a lot of things now, but I won't be happy with my performance if I don't do all I can and all I said I would do to make the transition smooth.

Ask me the same question Friday night, and I expect the answer will be slightly different:  "Not yet, but I suspect I will be after I get some sleep." 

Ask again a couple of days later, and I expect I will be quite excited indeed. 

As with most good things in my life, though, I won't let myself fully believe in them until they're here, until they close the door on my plane to Europe.