1. Cooking rocks. I use to detest wasting 1 or 2 precious hours preparing meals. So I instituted the proportionate school of cooking. Take Sunday to make a load of food, dole portions into Tupperware – hallelujah! Good for the work week. Lately I’ve rediscovered culinary delights – spices, unusual ingredients, exotic recipes. Take today’s breakfast: flax pancakes topped with a honey infused strawberry sauce.
2. Trees are green. What was blatantly obvious never registered with me. My new favorite ritual in the mornings is grabbing a breakfast seat outside to watch trees sway in the breeze. Did you know there are over 100,000 species of trees scattered across the world? That’s a lot of tree watching. Can’t wait.
3. I can type anywhere. With a steady wi-fi signal, naturally. The concept of not being chained to my desk or the printer for 9+ hours is surreal. Nowadays you’ll find me on a patio, a coffee shop or my sister’s living room, pounding away productively on the keyboard.
4. I can take baths. Because of my previous insane schedule/life, I haven’t had a bath since the Bush years. That is not a joke. A couple of days ago, I eased my battered body into a sumptuous vanilla scented bubble bath. Ohhh yeah.
5. I remember lyrics. Music was background noise for workouts or ignoring my office mates. Slightly weird behavior for someone who use to scribe music reviews. I’m now hooked on these lyrics from Elbow‘s song “One Day Like This”:
What made me behave this way?
Using words I never say
I only think it must be love
Oh, anyway, it’s looking like a beautiful day
6. What stress? It’s not accurate to categorize my current decompressed state as a vacation. Imagine a purgatory of nirvana – time or events are ethereal and thoughts are never wasted or forgotten. Om.
7. Public transportation doesn’t annoy. The clock ticked during my commute to and from work. Buses or trains served me, not the other way around. Within the past month I’ve spoken to 2 or 3 homeless people, overheard a few shouting matches via cell phones, snooped at readers book jackets, or soaked in the scenery whizzing by.
8. The nap myth is true. I promised a few months back that naps were top of my post-job bucket list. They work. They’re restful and keep me content. I drift away on the couch, or someone’s couch and it IS divine. Waking is never a rushed endeavour, but considered – much like a cat stirring from an 18 hour snooze.
9. Food tastes awesome. I was an inhaler. Suck back food quickly, so I could scurry to the next task. In tandem with the resurgence of cooking, I find myself concocting 2 or 3 courses, then sitting down to a long session of savoring flavors. My foodie days are here again!
10. Silence is golden. No more jangling phones, barked orders, or Xerox printers whirring and spitting papers. The quiet greets me every day with hot tea and a steady ear. For once, something is there to listen instead of natter back.
The gist? I’m discovering life all over again. I only wish others could experience the same. Hesitation or fear wouldn’t even be an option. Isn’t our one life worth living?
Photos: James Jordan, Dirk Gently, book grl, Jerrold, Mara-Earth-Light, CanadaGood, Archangeli, stirwise, Anna Gay
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been laid off once and I couldnt agree more. It’s so liberating to do whatever you want, whenever you want after living a regimented life day to day. Best of luck.
@GRRRL TRAVELER – Haha! Goodness, the true poet is screaming to come out. Watch out, y’all!
Glad you’re discovering your Zen time. The world can be a different place when you stop rushing and barreling through it with ambition. You can notice some pretty nice things, miraculous and amazing. You might just even uncover the true poet in you! ;-)
@karenzo – Hi stranger! The experiences you’re going through – so life changing. I hope you don’t stick around NY too long, bound for the road again. If you are, we should meet up. I’ll probably be there Oct/Nov.
@ashalah – Thanks for commenting! I do struggle with lack of structure too. But when it comes down to work, I’m fairly disciplined. Nice to hear someone else sees things in my light. And yeah, Elbow is aces! :)
I’ve been unemployed for nearly a year and really, it’s been pretty awesome! I agree with every point you made. (and THANK YOU for introducing me to Elbow! I just checked them out and bought one of their albums I liked them that much!) and love how happy you sound :) I love being able to do what I want, when I want but the lack of structure has some downsides that I’m only NOW realizing, 10 months later. Enjoy it while you can!! :)
You sound so happy!! Agree with all your points. Not working these past few months really opened my eyes to how much there is in life to savor. I am back now from my travels and hoping to figure out a way to make that feeling last.
@Christian – Thanks! I’ll take your best wishes. Thanks for stopping in.
@Andrew – Long stint is an understatement. I’ve been working since I was 16. That’s literally forever!
@Josh | The Wander Project – Glad I could be of service. :)
@Candice – Don’t hesitate, come along girlie. You know you wanna. :)
@Nomadic Chick – I’ll take you up on that live intervention!
You’re leaving the dream NomadicChick. I’m more than a bit jealous. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Yes. The first bit of unemployment is great after a long stint working.
The pictures are nice mix to the list as well. I seriously LOVE the picture of the trees. I just stared at it and it was good.
This post resonates with me for an entirely different reason: I’ve never had a “real job” — I’ve been freelancing since college.
It becomes a “real job” on occasion, though. You’ll get burned out, stressed out, and sometimes the structure of a 9-5 actually sounds appealing when you’re staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page (to say nothing of the massive check you write every month for health insurance).
But then I remind myself, as this post did, that I can pretty much do what I want, when I want, from wherever. And then I get to work, feeling pretty good about the situation- so thanks for the reminder!
Siiigh, sounds dreamy.
@Bo’neFly Travel – Apt analogy on nutrition. In my old life, I constantly neglected the mental/emotional/spiritual parts. No, thanks for commenting.
@Gray – Perhaps keep reading? That might be intervention enough. It struck me that you have a decent balance in your life, but from your comment busy or crazy is normal for you. Once I get to Montreal, this might turn into a live intervention. You’re forewarned. :)
@Alison – Sounds to me that you took that huge leap and now it’s a matter of smoothing the creases. :)
Greetings Nomadic Chick!
It seems you were just existing before & now you are living, as I like to say becoming one with nature. Now you can do what you are supposed to be doing.
People spend a lot of time taking care of their cars by putting in the best gas, furnishing houses with best furniture, and don’t give their bodies the same respect & after a good workout stop by drive-thru for a meal. The right nutrition is vital for the body (temple), taking time & putting the right energy into preparation of the food is just as important.
I know your goal is to go around the world this year; it sounds like you already started your journey, right in your own back yard. Thanks for sharing it with us!
This is so, so lovely. I often do the cooking on the weekend thing, too. I never have time for baths. You make me wish my job would fire me. Sadly, I know myself well enough to know I’d find a way to cram too much into my newly-free days so I was still rushing around madly all the time. It’s what feels “normal” to me now. I need an intervention. :-)
@Nomadic Chick – Haha, I expect you’re right. It took me quite a while to figure out what ‘doing what I love’ really meant. I still spend a lot of time thinking about where I want to take my career and my life but I’m realising that you actually can have a ‘job’ that makes you happy and makes you a bit of cash too.
@Alison – Could it have been because you hadn’t given yourself the gift of doing what you loved yet? I suspect, yes. Now look at you! Participating in art fairs, talking collage and networking. I’m nowhere close to being your mother’s age, but why do I feel proud of you just the same?
@Erica – It’s a process to leave, I know. If this blog or others urge you to, and it’s something you really really want to do – IT will happen. :)
@Abby – Thanks, honey! Now go have a 2 hour, hot bath, a nap and build that business of yours!
@James Schipper – Haha.. oh, I’m learning daily how better it gets. :)
@Dave – Superb idea Dave, let’s start a forced jobcation program – worldwide!
When I first found myself as a jobless ‘trailing-spouse’, I have to admit it took me a while to look at it in such a positive light as you have. Now that I’m working for myself I appreciate and make time for all of the things you’ve mentioned here. I think there is nothing better than being able to work from my terrace, sitting in the sun, listening to the birds and most of all, taking a break whenever I want to. I’m glad you’re discovering these little joys!
Another wonderful post. I cannot wait until I have time to taste life again. I remember as a little girl one of my favorite things to do was to lay on a blanket, listen to the trees rustle, and make pictures out of clouds.
I need to get out of my cubicle.
I wish I’d known you when I lost my job! Could’ve used some positive, knowing influence. This list is great — I feel more peaceful just reading it!
As far as number 3 goes, you don’t even need the wi-fi for much of what you can do. You only needed to be online for some of the details about this post and to upload it, but otherwise, you could have typed away from wherever. It gets even better ;-)
Wow – this so, so resonates with me. :)
I took redundancy a few months ago, and since then my life has very much mirrored yours. Stress – gone. Afternoon naps – sure, why not? Taking the time to appreciate my life, my neighbourhood and it’s inhabitants – absolutely.
I’ve loved every second of it. The cubicle is a distant and fading memory, thank god.
Heading off to travel for a few months soon will obviously turn this wonderfully easy life on it’s head, but I’m looking forward to that so much as well.
As you say, I wish others could experience the same thing. Actually, to be honest, I wish others *would* experience the same thing. For most cubicle dwellers, I’m sure this nirvana is something that they are able to enjoy if they choose to prioritise it…
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