6 Months of Freedom
My last day of work was Sunday, June 30, 2019. That means I have had 6 months to “do whatever I want” and set a new direction for my life. In this short post, I want to share what I’ve been up to and what I have planned for the future.
Yes, I’m bragging a little, but I took a big risk to get here! So lend me your ear, and I won’t babble on for too long. Quick preview: it mostly consists of recovering my self, making new friends, and earning no money.
Volunteering
When I was still facing the daily grind, my fantasies of quitting always included some form of volunteering. I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted to make an effort to lift up other human beings since I’ve had so much privilege and advantage my whole life.
It took a couple months, but in September, I stumbled upon an opportunity. I had been spending some of my new free time working on learning foreign languages, and one of my favorite methods was (and still is) attending social conversation meet-ups. In other words, a group of people that meets to have fellowship, speak a foreign language, and often share their travel stories and learning goals.
At one of the better-attended Spanish Language meet-ups, I was lucky enough to meet the coordinator for a local program that helps adults learn English and refine their job skills. She referred me to the program leader, and a few weeks later I started assisting in the beginner-level English class. Now, in January, I’m teaching the Conversation (advanced) Class for 2 weeks while the regular teacher is away on vacation.
From a selfish perspective, this has given me a chance to work on my Spanish and meet a lot of really interesting people with incredible stories! However, it also requires a lot of energy: motivating, encouraging, and delivering lessons to a class of 20+ adults takes determination and humility. As you might imagine, my efforts have been rewarded with a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Now I just need to figure out how to continue volunteering when I eventually go back to work…
More Energy and Brain Power
Remember how I said I’ve been learning foreign languages? Since leaving my full-time gig, my consistency has improved drastically. I went from 30 minutes of Spanish during my morning commute to 1 or 2 hours per day studying Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Why is this possible? Is it simply that I have more time?
Not exactly…
The biggest difference is that I have more mental energy. Without emails and texts coming in at all hours, draining commutes, or under-funding projects to support, I’ve allowed myself to focus my talents and determination inward.
Since quitting, I’ve brewed beer, cooked my first Thanksgiving turkey, pickled okra, made pies, gotten my whitewater kayaking instructor certification, ridden my bike, started running, started weight-lifting, taken bridge lessons, taken voice lessons, visited family, started studying UX Design (more on that later), participated in my alma mater’s Steel Band Alumni Concert, and am planning to go to Mexico in the Spring.
I will concede that all of this has been made possible by my new-found ability to get 8-9 hours of sleep regularly. I don’t care if you think adults are wasting time by sleeping that much. Getting a good night’s rest is not just for kids! I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a concise New Year’s Resolution that will inject life and harmony into many other facets of life.
But What Will You Do When Your Break is Over?
Well, as I mentioned, I’ve started studying UX Design. For those that don’t know (I didn’t until recently), UX stands for “User Experience” and means exactly what it sounds like: how a user experiences something: an app, a website, an amusement park, the DMV *shudder*, the doctor’s office. Even though you can apply UX Design to just about anything you can experience, my training program is focused on mobile applications. I spend around 20 hours per week learning the concepts and techniques and putting them into practice through assignments, which will all culminate in an end-to-end project.
I plan to finish my certificate in June and then find a full time job doing UX Design.
In other words, the end is near.
Things I Haven’t Done (Yet)
There were a lot more things I wanted to do in my “time off” (lovingly referred to as my “time on” by a dear friend): start a podcast, exercise regularly, play piano and steel pan, community theater. As we embark on 2020, I am now making a point to be disciplined about exercise. (I’ll let you know how that’s going in the next update.) I’ve also found some babysitting jobs for kids who are studying the piano, so that’s a potential outlet for music, even if it’s not grand or spectacular. The podcast may have to wait until another season of life. As for theater, I guess I’ll have to work up my courage to go on a few auditions this Spring.
After all, I don’t want to look back and wish I had done more.
