It has been just over two weeks since I left work. The first week was consumed by transition — the long drive from GA to CO, the logistics of uprooting a life (again). The second week was for decompression: catching up on sleep, quieting my mind, and letting the anxiety of my old work life slowly release its grip.
I found my new rhythm quickly. There were moments of doubt, of course — quiet voices asking whether I made the right move. But I had made a promise to myself when I made this decision: to fully feel everything I felt in that moment, and to trust it. And when I go back to that feeling, I know the truth — it wasn’t really a choice. It was survival. That’s why I’m here.
So I choose to embrace the life that those constraints ultimately led me toward. Sometimes life has to force us out of our comfort zone, because we won’t leave on our own. I’m grateful it did. I intend to enjoy this fully.
In that second week, I learned something important about myself: I cannot sit still. Being unproductive doesn’t just feel uncomfortable — it quietly erodes me. I need to take care of myself across all three dimensions: mind, body, and spirit.
For my mind, I need to keep creating, learning, and doing. I want to emerge from this period as a better version of myself, not just someone who rested while time passed.
For my body, I finally have the space to focus on getting back in shape. Returning to the pool in week two reminded me how much I’ve missed being in the water. By the end of that week, I already felt stronger.
For my spirit, I’m learning to pause — to actually stop and smell the flowers, not just move through them. Taking Tsali on walks and letting him set the pace has been a quiet joy. I no longer have a reason to rush him, and so I don’t. His time on this earth is growing shorter, and being truly present with him reminds me to put my energy toward what actually matters. That awareness fills me up.
The deepest thing I’ve taken from this sabbatical so far is this: even without a job title or a schedule, something in us still wants to create. To make things. To contribute. To give more to the world than we take from it. I believe that’s what we’re here for — to explore, to produce, to leave something behind.
And it feels so good to live that way.