Begin Again: Transitioning Back to Work Life

Those lazy mornings of sleeping in and rolling out of bed past 9 am are over. And I’m ok with that.

I can honestly say that I’m ready for stability and routine. After eight months of living out of a suitcase, my body craves a single space to call my own, the morning rituals, the purpose of each day, and yes, even the daily grind and the working for the weekends. There is a lot to be said for all of this. Don’t get me wrong — I fully enjoyed life off of the hamster wheel. But if life is all about balance, then it’s time for the pendulum to swing the other way.

Several friends have asked me, now that I’m going back to work, was it all worth it? Yes! I made a choice of what I wanted in my life and I did it. Though the past five months have been stressful and “in-between,” I had three months of freedom and fun. It was absolutely worth it.

But if someone had told me back then, when I first decided to quit my job, that it would take me this long to find another job, I definitely would’ve hesitated. It’s scary to think of being without an income for that long. I may have shut the whole idea down out of fear. Look at what I would’ve missed! Ignorance is indeed bliss and I’m glad I didn’t think, or overthink as I tend to do, too much about what it would be like coming back from my travels.

“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.”
-Matthew 6:34

I knew I would eventually have to think about a job, but at the time I just had faith that it would work itself out when I got to that point. I put it out of my head and knew I’d worry about it later, which is exactly what happened. When that time came, I fully devoted myself to exploring what I wanted to do next and looking for that, just as I had fully devoted myself to really living in the moment of my travels.

Trusting in the present and not worrying about the future. I hope I carry this with me as I transition back to the ‘real world’ of adult life — starting a new job, living in a new apartment, in a way rebuilding the life I had before I left. I will fully devote myself to all these things because now is the time to come back to them. I have been following what my heart tells me, and so far it has turned out ok.