This is the last entry I’ll make at this URL. In the coming days, I’ll launch a new site to chronicle the next chapter of my quest for more satisfying work and a more balanced lifestyle. Much of the same structure, background content, and even the title will be recycled. Look for me here:
http://escapeart.wordpress.com
Do keep reading—your support and words of encouragement over the past six months have been golden!
Did I mention that I quit my job?
Oh, yeah … that.
I gave notice last month; Thursday was my last day. For the sake of security, I sent out applications to find a new job, and even landed some interviews. But on the cusp of an offer last week, I got so completely spooked at the idea of committing to another 9 to 5 job that I cut my prospective employer off at the pass—even though the offer was in Austin, where I really want to move.
I want to say that this was a difficult decision. Actually, it was crystal clear.
Now I am happily packing for my trip to Europe—a long-anticipated, much-needed, springtime spin around Scandinavia, the Baltics, and the Balkans. If all goes as planned, I’ll squeeze some articles out of the venture.
I am approaching this new chapter with a few freelance prospects, a little savings, and a lot of hope. I feel a little like the narrator in the Gillian Welch song playing on Pandora right now, “Wrecking Ball.” It’s such an obvious imitation of Dylan that it’s almost a spoof.
Look out boys, 'cause I'm a rollin' stone.
That's what I was when I just left home.
I took every secret that I'd ever known
And headed for the wall
Like a wrecking ball.
It’s a fine start—bold dreamer sets forth to incite transformation! Trouble is, the narrator of this song winds up working at a mall in Santa Cruz. I have to laugh. I don’t mind contemplating this fate; it keeps me on my toes.
In the quest for a more fulfilling and creative life, etc. etc. blah-blah, I have hardly been blogging maniacally. It has, after all, been over a month since my last posting. I couldn’t sum it up if I had to. It’s been plain nutty.
Amazing changes are at hand, though. Unfortunately, I can only partially credit my own hard work. That part is a bit anticlimatic, given my fiercely independent tendencies. (I wouldn’t even let my husband give me a bag to help me could carry the toilet paper a mile home from the grocery store yesterday.)
So what is on the horizon?
My husband has scored a monthlong teaching gig in Denmark. Wahoo! This will not only nicely accommodate my burning need to to see the big wide world, but force me to quit my job. Talk to me on March 16, when the deed is actually done….
I’m admittedly both thrilled and freaked out. On the other side of our six-week trip, we’re likely to be completely broke, so I’m looking for reliable ways to put food on the table. Is it possible that I’ll ultimately wind up staying in the 9 to 5 grind? Eeek! That thought has lit quite a fire under me. When I’m not creating sample itineraries for my late spring getaway, I’m creating sample work plans for the summer relaunch of my freelance business.
Here’s what I’m not interested in being: a housewife. For the record, I’ve been down that road, and it led me straight to disempowerment. Asking permission to replace my crappy old tennis shoes gave me kind of a rock-bottom feeling, and a desire for a more self-sufficiency. A friend at dinner the other night heard our travel news and exclaimed, “That’s terrific! You probably won’t even have to work … he can just support you!”
For me, this is not as fun as it sounds–though of course it may work for others. My sister-in-law, for example, rocks the housewife role like no one else. (You try being a mother of two todllers and training for a half marathon!) But different strokes. In summary, I’m beyond psyched to end the 9 to 5 phase of my existence, but I’ve got to get my butt in gear and whip up some freelance clients.
Meanwhile, if anyone has travel tips for any of these places, I’m curious to hear about your experiences.
Finland (Helsinki, Lapland, Karelia)
Lithuania (Vilnius)
Sweden (Stockholm and…?)
Russia (St. Petersburg, Karelia)
Croatia (Split, Dalmatian Coast)
Latvia (Riga)
Montenegro (coast)
