Esther Perel Instagram – An old memory keeps resurfacing. My three year old son, standing in front of our apartment. He’s inching ever closer to a giant hole in the street. It’s safely blocked off but he can get close enough to see people inside of it, working on the gas lines. He leans in and then—for two whole hours—stares and points into the hole while asking the workers question after question about what they are doing. I was totally in awe of this little insatiably inquisitive being: his curiosity and intense focus on this particular thing he wanted to learn. But, in retrospect, it’s the time span that stands out—two whole hours. Two whole hours to do nothing but ask questions, listen, learn, observe, engage, peer into the vast emptiness of a hole in the street. No distractions. And my dominant feeling as I remember this day? Pure unadulterated envy. The unbounded freedom to learn new things, the unstructured time, the ability to simply focus. Last month, I spoke about being being full. Full of people, stories , their problems, my own…and there not being much room left inside me. I expressed my need to empty the tank, to digest and create space, and my desire to recharge my system. I’ve decided that I’m taking my time back. With my recharged system, I’m harnessing the “back to school” energy of September in pursuit of three things: focus, curiosity, and learning. To join me on this journey and for advice on how to better focus and learn new things, read this month’s newsletter and stay tuned as we delve deeper into this topic.