Where would you bury YOUR crock of gold?

All too often, we forget to sit back and take stock - and remind ourselves of what we can achieve, what we have done, what we have managed to make happen. We are rushed of our feet in our busy roles as PA & EAs, and we neglect to congratulate ourselves or take pride in the miracles we have brought about.

Reading a friend's status on Facebook just now, I was reminded of my favourite quote from 'Brideshead Revisited' by Evelyn Waugh, which brings to mind the idea of remembering / acknowledging and taking pride in what we do... 

To set the scene for you: friends Sebastien Flyte and Charles Ryder have just had a picnic and are lying on the grass under a tree, smoking Turkish cigars and watching the smoke drifting upwards through the leaves. They have eaten strawberries and drunk some wine (which, as Sebastien had predicted, went very well together), and it's a beautifully hot and hazy sunny day. Then Sebastien speaks:

"Just the place to bury a crock of gold" said Sebastien. "I would like to bury something precious in every place where I have been happy - then, when I was old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."

I have a few places where I would bury my crock(s) of gold:

• at the top of the red steps at Times Square, New York - my favourite place in the world, where I feel my most excited about life;
• in my best friend's garden in Exeter, England - where I feel the most comfortable and happy, with my loved ones around me;
• on the beach at Sidmouth, England - my favourite seaside view in the UK, near the city I lived in for 13 years;
• on the mountain-top overlooking Hong Kong - spectacular view, really moving, a huge sense of achievement for having "made it";
• on the beach at Jomtien, south of Pattaya, Thailand - so beautiful, so peaceful, so lovely, even through illness;
• at the Arenal beach in Javea, Spain, recuperating after surgery - I fell in love with the town and am hoping to make it my new home in the near(ish) future; and
• standing in a hotel meeting room in Bangkok, Thailand, delivering my first major international two-day training course to a group of fabulously enthusiastic PAs - with a tremendous sense of pride and fulfillment at what I'd achieved to get there.

Sit back in your chair for a minute or two and take stock of what you have done, where you have felt a sense of fulfillment and achievement... Where would you bury YOUR crock(s) of gold and why?

Best wishes,

Angela 
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