It felt like leaving my "normal" life and getting away to a new place was freeing me from a created role, the uber responsible, I can do anything, take care of everyone role. A new pace, new culture, new perspective gave me the distance I needed to evaluate my place in the world. Was I living the life I wanted to be living? Was I presenting myself as the person I truly was or simply living up to a lifetime of self-imposed expectations?
When I got away from that role, I asked dangerous questions. Questions that lead to you to a place where you are not satisfied to work to live, even for the best of causes. When I would return to normalcy, I saw my workplace, my work life, and even my home life with different eyes.
Eventually, of course, I would throw myself into the work crisis of the moment and begin to forget that I could be living life any other way...until that next break in the routine. I would even come to enjoy, or rather, get my work addition going again to the point that I would look back at my post-vacay doubting self as a crazy lady.
Leaving for a month, living as a professional consultant who can get the job done while in a new place, culture, and pace is a game changer. I have been back now a little while and guess what? It's not going away. I know I wasn't crazy. I know we can live differently...and we are making plans to make that happen. Stay tuned.
