Over the last three weeks Abby and Christian both notched up the six-month anniversaries of our intentional unemployment. In the early days we were tempted to pick up work, particularly when the caravan and our departure was so delayed.
Once we hit the road though, the desire to work had rapidly disappeared. We were so engrossed in our travels and enjoying our experience that the idea of work (even part-time or fleeting) was not even close to the surface.
We have talked of missing the intellectual challenge of work. Abby doesn’t think Christian can let his brain sit idle. So far, we have kept that at bay, although he is currently considering a potential project. Just the possibility has kept his brain spinning for the last week or so.
We also miss the social side of work. Although we are constantly meeting new people on the road, the consistent presence of our colleagues, their similar interests, shared experiences and familiarity are lacking.
Importantly, we do miss our bank account occasionally increasing. It would be a nice change compared to its current consistent (and sometimes startling) decline.
The hardest part (for Christian at least) has been watching the professional success, development and promotion of friends, peers and colleagues. We by no means begrudge them their success and at times seeing their progress and promotion has been a source of happiness and pride. Sometimes though it has led to some internal questioning. Could we have achieved that success if we kept working? Will this ever-growing gap in our careers hurt us in the future? How far behind will we be compared to our peers? How exactly do we want to re-enter the workforce?
Each time these thoughts pop-up, the answer is still the same. This (the trip, the break and the family time) was the right decision. It’s been the experience of a lifetime so far. We already know that our eventual return to the ‘real world’ will be different. Our priorities will be different and we have a better idea of how we want to balance our lives. It might sound soppy, but we want to keep as much of our road lives in the real world as possible.
Apart from your wedding day, I’ve never seen you two so happy. The career impact will be negligible. The life impact of this trip will be great! P.S. we miss you xo
We miss you too! It is very easy to be happy when you are fulfilling a long held dream. We don’t look forward to re-entering the real world.
Meh, the unreal word will be here if you ever want to come back. But do NOT come back soon. You may not be in the pod around the corner but we need you to inspire and challenge us all the same! You do you. We will watch with measures of pride and envy. You are here in the tales we tell with sparkling eyes about “my friend is on this amazing journey . . .”