Author: Zach Sims

Hi everybody,

What in tarnation!? Has it already been 30 days? Just kidding, of course it has, although I am thoroughly confused about who I am and what I do. All normalcy has left me. Okay, maybe that is a dramatic way of saying I am ready to return to the real world and a get some routine back in my life. With that said, this Sabbatical has been a tremendous blessing in my life and has provided me insight and rejuvenation. This last week has been spent finishing my book studies and preparing myself to return to work. This Sabbatical has been huge in giving me the motivation to spend more time with the word of God as well as pursue self-help knowledge which can be utilized to not only make me a better employee, but also a better friend, sibling, son, and helper of people. I spent a good deal of time with Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, a book I have been recommended in the past and always wanted to read. I am excited to explore how the principles of Covey’s teaching can be applied in the work place and was pleased to have discovered many of the books themes have been preached in the MIS department as well as the rest of the company, especially independence and proactivity. I am excited to return to FDLIC and see everyone, but even more excited to see how everyone’s Sabbatical journey provides enlightenment in your lives as the year progresses.

I’ll see yall very soon,

JZ

Hello everyone,

After returning from Washington state I spent the last week focusing on rest and family. I really put forth some effort to ensure I was getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night and be intentional with my efforts to avoid any activity too strenuous as well as make time for naps. I also spent a fair chunk of my time fishing as I have always found this activity a perfect medium for relaxation and meditation. As easy as all of that sounds I would be lying to you if I said I have not struggled. The first half of my Sabbatical has been filled with so much activity that there was not a whole lot of down time where I was beside myself and now that I am spending the majority of my time alone it has really taken me out of my comfort zone, but also opened up an opportunity for exploring my thoughts and feelings. When I first heard Sabbatical testimonials, there was almost some humor in the testimonies describing the awkwardness and power of a month long Sabbatical, but now I think I am starting to understand the true meaning behind those individual descriptions and have been able to use this time to come to terms with some personal struggles.

As for family, my immediate family lives here in Abilene, but whether it be fatigue or laziness I have not been successful in giving them the attention they deserve. It would be easy to blame time spent with work for falling short in this area of my life, but personally I know it is a failure that I have created and so this Sabbatical has been a massive blessing in clearing aside any excuse I have previously manipulated. Throughout this Sabbatical I have been able to spend meaningful time with my parents and brother and not just give them the usual hello goodbye while I prioritize the rush of life over their relationships. I am also fortunate to have my maternal grandmother living in Abilene, having recently moved here from the metroplex. She has been another recipient of my time during this Sabbatical and every opportunity to spend time with her is a joy. I have always been guilty of trying to solve any problem presented to me regardless of whether it affects me and while that can be a wonderful quality it is also quite taxing on my mental and physical health. I know it is not feasible to help everyone you love with every issue they face, but I will always try and this Sabbatical has helped me come to terms with this in the form of clairvoyance and the opportunity to give more than I normally would be able.

The focus of this week has been concluding my book studies and winding down from a month away from work to gear up for my return Friday. My last blog post will entail what I have learned from the book studies and Sabbatical as whole.

Take care,

JZ

Hello everyone,

It has been awhile, so I have quite a bit to tell you. Last week I travelled up to Washington state to visit my good friend Anna Robbins. Anna and her family graciously offered to house me for an entire week during my stay. I have been to Washington before and I absolutely loved the mountainous beauty and progressiveness of the state, so I had been excited to not only see Anna, but explore the country side in Washington. My trip started with a flight to Portland where Anna picked me up and we drove to the coastal town of Ocean Shores, Washington. We stayed the night in a hotel near the beach and the next morning set off to explore the beach and town. Ocean shores is on a peninsula so we drove to the southernmost tip to check out the beach and ocean. Despite it being about 40 degrees and windy, it was beautiful nonetheless and the wind made the ocean waves a sight as they were quite large. You can check it out for yourself here: https://goo.gl/photos/dLkMzmii3NpKB8MA8.

After spending some time exploring the small tourist town of Ocean Shores, we got back on the road to head east and then north up to Seattle and then to Anna’s hometown of Sedro-Woolley. On the way, we stopped in Aberdeen, Washington for a quick visit to a small park established by fans of the Aberdeen native and Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. The park, known as Cobain Landing, is hailed as an area that he frequented and so it has been created in memoriam. Cobain Landing is barely a park as it consists of a small grassy area with some seating, a couple of monuments to Kurt Cobain, and a bridge decorated with graffiti. Nevertheless, I have always been a fan of Nirvana so it was an interesting destination to visit along the route to Seattle. From there, we continued east through the Washington capitol of Olympia and then got on interstate 5 which would take us north through Seattle.

Before reaching downtown Seattle, Anna suggested we visit the Museum of Flight which is located at a Boeing manufacturing facility in southern Seattle. The Boeing installation was massive, spanning several blocks with a multitude of facilities they use to perform the manufacture and testing of various types of aircraft. The museum was extraordinary and contained what seemed like hundreds of flying machines dating from the birth of mechanical flight to present day. The museum boasted a large indoor facility where aircraft were littered all over the showcase floor and hanging from the ceiling. There was also an outdoor showcase where massive commercial airliners, world war two era bombers, and modern fighter jets were housed under a very large hangar like structure. As a lover of aviation, this place was a dream. I was very impressed by how interactive the exhibits were and many of the aircraft were open for visitors to climb aboard and explore the interior. The museum also housed a large space exploration exhibit which featured a replica space shuttle that can be boarded and various other relics of the last half century of space exploration. Even if you are not a fan of aviation like myself, this place is a must see and would be great for children. Here is a 360-degree photo sphere of the museum’s indoor showcase: https://goo.gl/photos/oyhkfXnFR2c2SUVp8.

Once we had our fill of the aerospace museum, we got back on interstate 5 and booked it up through Seattle and finally made it to Anna’s hometown of Sedro-Woolley, Washington which is about an hour north of Seattle. Sedro-Woolley is small logging town whose downtown streets are lined with all kinds of marvelous wood carvings. There were carvings of bears, eagles, fish, and even a cowboy atop a bucking bull which I found kind of curious in northern Washington and thought it might be more fitting if that one came back to Texas with me. Unfortunately, the thousand-pound statue would not fit in my check bag. During the week, Anna had to continue her remote work with the MIS department, which I had accounted for and planned to go exploring solo until she was off work. Being a member of the MIS department, it was interesting to see her remote set up and how she has adapted to working in this fashion. She runs a tight ship up there in Washington and I am grateful she has been able to remain a part of our team despite the transition to remote work. Anna graciously offered to lend me her vehicle for the work week so I could travel around Washington while she was working, however I rarely needed to take her up on that offer because her parents, John, and Julie Robbins, were so wonderful in filling my spare time with a couple of trips to some amazing locations. John and I have had several conversations pertaining to fishing so of course I was stoked when he offered to take me up into the mountains and show me around his mountain lake fishing spots. Unfortunately, it was the middle of February and the lake was frozen so we could not do any fishing of our own, but this place was a beauty nonetheless and as you may have expected I captured a photo sphere to share with you here: https://goo.gl/photos/Ui7yZCsPDFfzs12t9. Another touristy location Anna’s parents took me was a massive bridge known as Deception Pass. The bridge connects Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound to mainland Washington. If you are daring enough you can walk the length of the bridge and look out over the strait of ocean whirlpools and the tree tops of the surrounding land masses. I did not walk the full length of the bridge, as it only took one logging truck shaking the bridge and nearly clipping my head off to realize this was a bad idea, however I did go a little bit of the way and captured the most horrifying photo sphere of my life: https://goo.gl/photos/NCFgu2KoBHNtUq1BA. The image really does not do justice to how high up it is. Here is one more image from a state park further down the strait that looks back upon the bridge: https://goo.gl/photos/dGRwgfQtCWBs54j47.

For my last day in Washington, Anna and I had decided to travel back down to Seattle and explore some of the tourist attractions in the city. We traveled down there in the morning and after a lunch of world famous Ivar’s clam chowder we set off to Pike Place Market. At the market, we saw the many shops that line the interior and exterior, the first Starbucks, the legendary gum wall, and of course the famous fish throwers. Here is a 360-degree image of the center of Pike Place: https://goo.gl/photos/UpNG8PfXQRcaMdYb9 and another of a nearby park:  https://goo.gl/photos/Y5SKRzkwXd7qU7oo7. Having never been to Pike Place before, Anna kind of just let me stumble through it and take in all the sights, sounds, and smells. What I really had my heart set on finding when we got there was the fish market and I knew I was there before I saw the boisterous employees due to all the shouting. After observing their operation for a few moments, I started to realize how the fish throwing attraction works. The employees wait around for a largish crowd to develop and then one of the throwers stands directly in front so that the flying aquatic creature gives the illusion that it will hit the crowd. Almost immediately after coming to this realization I look up and a Pike Place fish market employee is standing directly in front me screaming the fish summoning chant. I start to panic at the realization that I could potentially be smacked in the face with a 20-pound king salmon. Fortunately, these guys in the fish market got hands like Julio Jones and never did drop a fish that day, although secretly the pessimist in me was kind of hoping they would lose one. After spending several hours at Pike Place and spending some time in a nearby mall it was starting to get dark and we decided it might be fun to go up the Space Needle at night since there was a tram close by that takes passengers all the way to the tower. The last time I was in Seattle I went up the Space Needle, but it was broad daylight and so the opportunity to view the downtown lights in the dark was appealing. Downtown Seattle at night has all the spectacular and bustling of most American cities, but displays uniqueness with the nearby bay filled with illuminated ferries and other water craft and the Seattle Great Ferris Wheel performing an elaborate light show by the piers. Here is a still image of downtown Seattle at night from the Space Needle: https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMMhRrPWcC95WNB5XxM4Sm51ZnXuAv9Ip_0HAo_. I was glad we went up the Space Needle in the dark, but feeling drained from the day and ready to get some sleep before another long day of travelling back to Abilene. Anna was nice enough to have booked us a stay at the Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle for the night. Those of you who have had conversations with Anna may have heard her speak about her fascination with staying in haunted hotels. To my knowledge, she has spent the night in some haunted hotels in both Dallas and San Antonio. I have no fascination in haunted anything and do my best to avoid all super natural areas so you can understand my alarm at hearing Anna say, “that’s the haunted room” as we walk down the hall of the 11th floor of the Mayflower Park Hotel. Thankfully my room was not the haunted room, but being on the same floor as the ghost was enough to ensure that I would get almost no sleep that night. I guess I am grateful for the experience if nothing else.

My trip to Washington was a wonderful experience and I am appreciative of Kris Seale and FDLIC for allowing me this opportunity through Sabbatical. This week I have been focusing on rest, relaxation, and family before beginning my bible/book studies. My next blog post will entail details about what I have learned and been up to this week. Expect the next post soon. I hope everyone is doing well.

Until next time,

JZ

Hello all,

One of the greatest aspects of our FDLIC family is the culture of altruism. This can not only be seen by how we treat each other at work, but how so many of us consistently pursue methods of service that embody the helpers of people ideology. With that said, we are often only able to dedicate small portions of our lives to service projects before the responsibilities of life reel us back in to reality. For me, one of the beauties of this sabbatical opportunity has been the ability to set aside my normal responsibilities and dedicate my services as a helper of people. My service project goal was ambitious in the sense that I wanted to volunteer my time to as many Abilene organizations as possible, but after meeting with the staff at Meals on Wheels it was apparent they needed my help the most during a shorthanded week. I spent all last week volunteering with Meals on Wheels, taking on a different route each day. The fact that the routes were different each time made it a lot of fun because I never knew where I would need to go and I got to meet a lot more people. Although I had participated in Meals on Wheels in the past, spending an entire week there has provided me a heightened sense of appreciation for what the employees and regular community members accomplish daily. I plan to return to Meals on Wheels and help in any way I can before the end of my sabbatical and I encourage those of you who will be serving in Abilene to find an opportunity to reach out to the folks at meals on wheels.

Until next time,

JZ