It’s taken me about a week to feel semi-settled, but I am in love with my new space — I never thought I’d say it, but living alone is actually better for me at this point in my life. Though I don’t have everything figured out in terms of my next steps, having a stable living situation is a luxury I can no longer take for granted.
In the interim between jobs, I’ve been going on a lot of other adventures. Sometimes it’s tough to feel productive or energized when searching for the next thing – I’ve been waking up late and cooking elaborate meals at the end of particularly demotivating days. I’ve flitted from going away party to job search session and book club to coffee date, all the while wondering about whether – underneath it all – I define myself based solely off the work that I do. There’s something to be said about financial security, but beyond that there is a lot of anxiety about not having something ‘to do.’
But the projects that have been helping me lift out of this state are all labors of love, and I am grateful to have time to work on them. This week, it has been planning to bring As[I]Am out of hibernation and applying for travel grants. In two weeks, it will be – most excitingly – officiating my best friend’s marriage! (Stay tuned for details on that!). So while the downtime has carried with it a mix of feelings, I am happy to say that riding the tide in has not felt completely like drowning.
See you when I reach the shore – this time on the West Coast!