Career Break/Sabbatical - So What's it REALLY Like?

It has been just over 4 months since we quit our jobs, rented the house, packed our essentials into the Subaru, and took off for the Radical Sabbatical. So far it has been pretty amazing. Ten states and 10,000 miles later, there are no regrets - only great memories. 

We are relaxing here in South Lake Tahoe for about a month before taking off for summer adventures in our gorgeous national parks, including Bryce, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, as well as several other state and regional parks.

So what's it like to take a sabbatical? As is the case with everything in life - there are cool things and not so cool things.

Time - Just Time
There is nothing better than a morning spent drinking coffee while listening to NPR and knowing that you have nowhere to rush off to, nowhere to be, and no one waiting for some meaningless PowerPoint presentation that you just spent three days of your very short life working on. It is good for the soul to just hang like this. Americans are particularly bad relaxers, after all. We could all benefit from a daily siesta, a la Italy and Spain.

Also, this happens a lot: hey, it's Tuesday - wanna go to Napa/Mono Lake/Bodie (amazing ghost-town by the way)/Truckee/Yosemite/see friends or family/whatever. And guess what, we go and there are no crowds on a Tuesday anywhere - I really hate crowds.

Bodie, California - Dave really likes ghost towns and mines, he was giddy.

Lots of Learning
In addition to learning to ski pretty much anything put in front of me this winter, I have also learned to rock climb; golf like I am not a complete hack; backcountry ski whilst avoiding avalanches; make a perfectly thin Neapolitan pizza crust; milk goats; and make homemade yogurt and cheese. I am also brushing up on my German, Italian, and Spanish in anticipation of the 6 weeks we will be spending in Europe this fall. While not quite as productive as work, it is one hell of a lot more fun.

Feeling Good
So we skied all winter. Now we are mountain biking and hiking every day.....for hours.....it is awesome. We are also eating well because we have plenty of time to cook all those recipes I have been bookmarking for the last 5 years but never got around to trying. I feel so relaxed and healthy. For those that didn't know, Dave started going blind a few years ago because of work STRESS. Seriously, it was scary making plans for my husband to be blind in a few years. This break has definitely opened my eyes to how unnecessary and unhealthy all that is.

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Please note that it isn't all complete rosy happiness and bliss. I am still the same Nervous-Nellie I always was. I can FIND something to worry about even during the most perfect blissful moments. That is just how I roll. So for your information, here are a few things to think about for your own Radial Sabbatical.

You Had Better Like Your Partner

I may look cute but I am a real pain in the arse.

Oh man there is a good bit of Amie+Dave time, which isn't always great. Spending the day apart  at our separate offices and hanging out after work (as is was for us before the Radical Sabbatical) makes for probably the right amount of time to spend with a spouse. Given that the rest of the world is working during the day, we are each other's besties right now - let's hope we don't kill each other.

I believe we got into a fight at the grocery store the other day because Dave wanted to buy packaged shredded breakfast potatoes (disgustingly processed) and I thought is was a bad idea because he'd never actually eat them. I was called a shopping-cart Nazi then I told Dave to just finish GD shopping by himself then......you can imagine what this looked like in the middle of Ralph's Supermarket at 10:00 a.m. on a Thursday. Jeez.

But otherwise, the lesson here is to keep your mouth shut on occasion and don't freak out about the lame stuff like preservative-filled refrigerated shredded potatoes. Also, take time to do things on your own and don't spend all your time doing activities with your partner because you will kill each other.

Schedule Your Time Off
It has really helped that we have three phases for our time off: skiing, then camping, then Europe. When not actually skiing/hiking/biking/traveling, a good chunk of our time has been spent preparing for and planning these phases, which I love. It keeps us (me) busy researching and learning about all the places we want to go. Not to mention, it is SO HARD to get camping permits at a few of the national parks we are planning to go to. You have to be online the second the permits become available, or you are screwed. You would not believe my Google Calendar right now.

Don't Get Wrapped Up in Your Head
Like I said, I am a worrier. I have recently found that the 80% of my worry capacity that I used to dedicate to work, has been dedicated to worrying about global warming, trash in the oceans, trash at Mount Everest,  air pollution, overfishing, etc. It is not healthy and it takes serious mental effort (and a fair amount of drinking) to not worry about that stuff. I have to work on that.

Approximately 10% of my worry budget is spent on friends and family. Then 10% is dedicated to worrying about all the certifications and professional development I am not completing and how that will impact my finding gainful employment post-sabbatical.

Aggghhhhhh - stop. It is a few months off. I have the next 40 years of my life for work. For now, I am going to (try to) relax and enjoy as best I can, like that mellow guy there on the right.