Leave karma

At a faculty retreat today, a colleague came up to say hi, and when I told him "I'm on leave" said "You shouldn't be here!" Apparently, when he was on his first leave years ago, he came to a faculty meeting and I collared him and said the same thing - and without that permission "I would never have finished my book." I'm glad I went today - we haven't gathered as a faculty since before the pandemic and the event was full of joy and camaraderie - but now I'm taking my old advice, returned with interest. Maybe the karma will help my book, too!