Today is the last day of my unemployment sabbatical; tomorrow I'll once again be gainfully employed, contributing to the economy, packing my lunch, feeling whole once more.
My sabbatical was quite the learning experience -- I revisited the grief process and although I didn't have anyone to plan a funeral for, I felt as though I went through the same stages as in losing a loved one. There was the denial and isolation emotion (this really isn't happening), anger (how could they do this to me), bargaining (what if I offered them a 50% salary decrease), depression (boo hoo), and then finally the acceptance (it's done). Like the loss of my parents, I was surrounded by a caring network of family and friends who made sure that I didn't spend too much time grieving over that which was gone.
I learned alot about myself during this time and know that I wouldn't have been able to get in touch with my soul had this not happened. I discovered new talents, stepped out of my comfort zone, got involved in some great projects, met some new wonderful people, read, sewed, gardened, got creative, cooked, spent time with my family, and generally kept busy while at the same time searching out that 'perfect' job -- which finally found me.
Not that I'd EVER want to go through this again, but perhaps this is the reason why European countries offer 40 days of 'holiday'. The AARP organization requires employees who have been with them for seven years to take three months off -- unplugged. They actually request their electronic equipment and deactivate email accounts for that period. This way they come back to their jobs refreshed and filled with new exciting ideas to present.
I'm ready to hit the work force again . . . world . . . watch out!
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