100 days of abandon

August 26th, 2009 @ 8:25 pm | life | Post a Comment

I really, really like my new job. Of course, it’s still a job, and it requires me to wake before 8 AM, squeeze myself into biznass suits a few times a week, and often work late into the evening, and until I find someone to pay me handsomely for my excellent couch-laying skills, I’m pretty sure it will do. And yet, lately I find myself dreaming quite often about having two or three, or maybe even four months off just to do nothing.

It’s not that I want to do completely nothing. I would love nothing more than three months free to:

  • Go to the gym every day for 2 hours and get really hot.
  • Make dinner for my husband every night, or meet him out to eat.
  • Spend at least fifteen hours a week scrubbing, decluttering, decorating, or otherwise spiffing up my house and garden.
  • Read the 6 or so back issues of the New Yorker currently piled up in the magazine queue, and once I’m caught up, start reading them the week they arrive.
  • Run normal weekend errands on the weekdays, when everything is easier and Target is not crammed full of bodies.
  • After my two hour workout, lay around at the pool, or go to yoga, or other things that make me hot and tan (can you sense that I am feeling the opposite of hot and tan lately?)
  • Blog! Every! Day!
  • That last one is unlikely to happen, sorry.
  • Revisit my crafty skills by unpacking my sewing machine that has been tucked away in a box for 2+ years.

I think the reason I’m dreaming about some kind of sabbatical is because there is a chance my job will end in December, and I would have a few months off to find something new. But that will only happen if I totally fail at what I am doing. So on one hand, I am trying my hardest to succeed at this job, but on the other hand, maybe failure wouldn’t be so bad.

comments

  1. the dichotomy!!

    two months of nothing sounds a bit pleasant. :)

    written by Fishing Around

    August 26th, 2009 @ 10:16 pm

  2. Sounds dreamy! My time off actually went a lot like that but I found that I wasn’t as happy (I guess since it was unemployment–joblessness by choice would likely be different). I found that I was better at working out when I was working (had a schedule) and feeling productive. like they say, want something done, ask a busy person.

    But after working full time for a period I am truly grateful for a break. Good luck at your new job!

    written by Emily

    August 27th, 2009 @ 2:04 am

  3. Except for the whole money thing, I think being laid off would be kind of awesome. A girl can dream…

    written by Operation Pink Herring

    August 27th, 2009 @ 6:49 am

  4. oooh that’s a tough call :) heh I guess either way, you win!

    written by Jen

    August 27th, 2009 @ 9:10 am

  5. Ooooh, 100 days with no pressing demands….vacation, vacation, vacation. What, you can work out while on vacation, right? (*can* and *will* are clearly different sentiments.)

    xox

    written by heidikins

    August 27th, 2009 @ 11:08 am

  6. Oh I would KILL for time off.. then it would be no excuses to not visit the gym. I hate to use ‘time’ as an excuse. But I really don’t have any!!

    written by alyndabear

    August 27th, 2009 @ 12:20 pm

  7. oh man i would love a mini sabatical to do all of those things too. especially the errand running and cooking part, i don’t get to do it enough.

    written by katelin

    August 27th, 2009 @ 3:18 pm

  8. i actually live in a retreat house designed for guests such as you!

    written by Alexa

    August 28th, 2009 @ 5:25 am

  9. I’ve been having the same daydreams. My husband has been off all month (he goes back to school Monday), and it’s really hard to go to work as much as I love my job.

    written by Playful Professional

    August 29th, 2009 @ 3:45 pm

  10. OMG. (Yes, I just used a phrase – or word? – I hate to use. But it was fitting, I promise.) Anyway, OMG, I am totally right there with you. And were I to find a few months of free time, it would be spent doing every single thing on your list! Well, with the exception of reading the New Yorker – I’d probably switch that to “every book on my shelves that have been sitting around for the last two years unread” or “the bajillion issues of Everyday Food that I adore and have only cooked a handful of recipes from”.

    Sometimes, when I’m feeling really bad, I almost wish for something to happen where I either have to quit my job or something to that effect. Something about a fresh start and that extra push to do something I LOVE is definitely appealing…

    In any case, my wish for you is that you DO end up getting that time off. If you do, read a couple books in my honor. Heehee.

    written by wishcake

    September 6th, 2009 @ 2:59 pm