Remember the last post, “Changes by Langhorn Slim?” Well changes are abundant in 2024. What do you do when your path forward has been ripped out from beneath you? You wake up one morning to discover your apartment, your furniture, your job, your partner, your future, your life - all gone. You PIVOT.
I find myself at a cross roads, back in Rochester much sooner than intended. My grand plan for a re-start in LA cut drastically short. The question I am left grappling with is what to do now. Do I take the easy path out or continue digging in deeper and doing the work. The hard work. The work that most people never do. The soul searching “what was I made for” and “how the fuck did my life get to this place” work. The work I set out to do all those months ago. Truthfully, I am tired. I’ve thought about quitting my self discovery journey and returning to the mundane routine. What if it wasn’t so bad and I just never fully appreciated it? Honestly, there is truth in that statement. None of us really ever fully appreciate something until it’s gone, one of our big downfalls as humans. But even if I wanted to go back, I couldn’t. That life as it existed is gone. So how do I rebuild a life that is full of joy and meaning? Welcome to my radical sabbatical.
For years I have felt there was something lacking from my life. I was blessed beyond measures but I was always left feeling like I wasn’t living into my full potential. I knew I was not happy with my career but felt powerless to change it. I’ve done social work for almost 10 years, how would I even go about changing careers if I wanted to? When I’ve talked to others they often express the same sentiment - I don’t like what I’m doing but it’s the only thing I’ve ever done so I can’t do anything different. I was stuck in the same mindset for years - until 2024. My original intention of the cross country move was to find myself and my passion. That sentiment remains. After taking a moment to recenter I’ve decided to continue my journey and embark on a radical sabbatical (yes this is an actual term, you should google it).
Over the next few months I will be trying out a number of different odd jobs/volunteer opportunities/classes/lessons etc., anything that peaks my interest I’m giving a shot. I will also be working with a career coach to take the skills I’ve learned over the last 10 years in human services field and shape them into a brand new career that is (hopefully) fulfilling and meaniningful.
During this time I will also be actively engaging in the seven different types of rest, a theory populated by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith in her book Sacred Rest. Basically, in order to feel fully rested and at your best you need to engage in a number of different types of rest. Physical (sleep, walks, yoga), Mental (taking breaks from the overthinking/anxiety loops), Emotional (feeling the feels/stop intellectualizing emotions), Sensory (taking screen breaks and getting out in nature), Creative (engaging in singing, writing and any other art form that thrills me), Social (spending time with loved ones and building stronger, fulfilling relationships) and Spiritual (connecting to a higher power/universe). Those examples are specific to me but I think you get the gist.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. This is the first time in almost 11 years I have not had a clear idea about what my future looks like. I mean, I don’t even know what my next DAY will look like right now. For someone who needs to know all the answers, this is the ultimate challenge for growth. I don’t know where this journey will take me or if I will find what I’m so badly searching for but what I do know is nothing changes if nothing changes.
Have you been itching to change things up in your own life? Not happy with your career but don’t know what else to do or how to do it? Want to hear more about this radical sabbatical? Send me a message or bat signal and let’s chat about it.
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