Design Your Life

"Girl, you are designing your life!" - this is something one of my grandmothers said to me last Thanksgiving when we had arranged a family phone call. I was living in the South of France and the majority of my maternal relatives were gathered for a holiday meal in Rock Island, Washington. She was referring to my travel plans over the Christmas holidays. It was one of my proudest moments, knowing that I had managed to take my life by the horns, at least for a little while, and steal a year to pursue a few of my dreams. It was, indeed, a stolen year. Eventually I had to return to the United States to face my obligations and my student loans, but it certainly planted a seed for the future.

Today I found this post from Go! Girl Guides via Twitter. After a quick peak and their "About" section, it seems these bloggers are ladies after my own heart: travel guide writers solely for female solo travelers. I love it! As a new blogger I'm thrilled to find that others see the need for more information for the "novel nomads" of the world; the ones who don't fit the typical profile written about in mainstream guide books and/or seek out those "novel" experiences that define a person, at least in part, for the rest of their lives.

But back to the Go! Girl Guides post: this post is about leaving your job for an extended trip. This is a subject I struggle with on an internal level almost weekly. As a young attorney just getting started and planning a family in the next few years, I now have more factors to consider than ever when planning my escapes from reality. I dream up destinations and personal challenges within that destination only to realize that such an adventure would require so much more than the standard two or four week vacation time. Then my heart suffers a hairline fracture, only to be bandaged with the hope that my career will allow me some flexibility to take extended leave, sabbatical, or work remotely (see the ROWE movement for my source of hope and strength on this particular topic).

The blog post I read today focuses on leaving your job or taking a leave of absence without burning bridges by focusing on things like planning ahead and honesty. It assumes that you will return home without a job, but with good references so you can start fresh elsewhere but also ends in hopes that your [very understanding and perhaps a bit envious] supervisor may even have your position waiting for you. I completely agree with the article. Though I've never taken a leave of absence from a full-time job, I did once take a break from my part-time law school job in New York to take an internship in Alaska. What made the difference was that I spoke with my direct supervisor months before I was to leave and was completely honest about my motivations: I wanted to use my summer to have an adventure and do something I couldn't do in New York. It worked. When classes resumed the next Fall my part-time gig (which I loved) was still available for me. That experience changed my life and now I live in Alaska, working in the legal profession for another employer.

There are obvious work and personal obligations each of us must attend to, and financial burdens we must individually account for, but those are each person's private business. If you can find a way to cover your bills and come home to a cushion and, hopefully, a few job interviews then go for it! Live out loud and design a custom-made life all your own. That's my message to the world for today.