Evaporating Time

The last year has flown by.  Dang.  It's been amazing.

It seems like one year off from full time work would be enough time to write The Great American Novel, create an amazing body of artwork, visit everyone, and re-do my entire house.

But here's the truth:

Time has a way of evaporating.

There are still the realities of your everyday (dishes, laundry, dinner, etc.) paired with not having an income and being careful about spending (hello art supplies! hello travel!).  If you have a partner in this life, you want to make them a priority as well.  And honestly, I love to read, so...

PLUS, I'm the type of person who thinks, "I should use this time to [insert huge OTHER project]." READ: getting married in 3 months with a DIY party for 100 people.

On top of all of this, I started looking for a job months out from when I really wanted to start.

It is really a job in and of itself to get a job.

So, what was left was time fairly well spent (see earlier post about what I've accomplished).

If I had to do it again, I'd not have thrown the wedding (just gotten married & maybe done a great honeymoon).  The party was great fun, but it did consume 3 months of my time off which could have been spent on art / writing.

AND LISTEN...

I'm under no illusions - taking a year off is pretty selfish - especially if you have a partner.  Even paying for myself (I'm an independent woman!) doesn't mean that it's not selfish.  I mean, you end up putting not just your, but BOTH of your lives pretty "on hold" until you figure out what your new job and what your new life will look like.  

It has felt like a pampering.  I feel refreshed.  I feel creative.  I feel inspired.
I feel HOPEFUL.

I'm very lucky.

To top it off?  I found an amazing organization to work at!  So, all in all, mostly a success.