The blogaversary – it’s not today, but I think it still deserves a mention. I missed it for a few months, but today inspiration hit. The inspiration for this blog was brewing for years though, but the idea finally came to life last year in May, when we were in Berlin for a quick holiday. My first blog post was published at the end of May – more specifically on 28.5.2018, and it was not a travel post. Even I was surprised because I totally spaced out about it.
If you read it now or you have read it before, you’ll see I was desperately craving some normalcy and time for myself when I wrote it. It’s funny what simple things you crave after 5 years of work routine. It’s even funnier when you put it in perspective – I was not 50 when I wrote it, but barely 30. Some might say I was spoiled even thinking about this stuff after only having had a career for 5 years. But anyway, I was thinking about it. There is no way around that fact.
I was planning on having at least a few months of a sabbatical, which I wanted to use to disconnect and “find myself again” if you will. Stereotypically millennial, some might say. But, all in all, last year’s sabbatical changed my life. For the better, if I may add. A sabbatical is still not an idea that is widely spread in Slovenia. I am sure many people thought I was never going to work again and that I was mildly (or not so mildly) insane. But I did it anyway. Because I had a 100% support of the people closest to me, from the day I came home and said: “I am quitting and going travelling for a while because I need this for myself”.
And it was the best idea I’ve had in a long time, or maybe ever. I found inspiration again, started listening to music again, started reading again – which I am btw still doing, even though I do have a steady job now. I am also working out regularly which is something I haven’t done in years – because of lack of time, at least that is what I was telling myself.
But most of all, during my sabbatical I realized that I loved writing. I am sure I would not end up where I am now if I stayed at home last year. I am also sure this blog is a huge part of it – it opened many opportunities for me that I didn’t have before and that I was not counting on at all. So, you never know where new opportunities lie and even things you or people around you deem silly can turn things around for you.
It is true, that my current job is awesome and awesomely flexible and it allows me more freedom than I have ever had in my professional life before. It allows me to be myself, which is in itself a wonder. But it is also true that I am not willing to give 1000% to my job again. Why? Because I am not the same person than I was last year when I left my first steady job. Because I’ve learned the hard way that giving a 1000% is usually not even a 100% valued. And that does not in any way mean that I do not respect my boss and co-workers and that I don’t absolutely love working with them, because I totally do – they are the best. I just learned that you have to put yourself first sometimes.
After I returned from my sabbatical, I was supposed to have a very routine surgical procedure. Which ended up not being routine at all. And although my stay in the hospital was unfortunate and pretty coincidental, I strongly believe my jobs and my relationships with them was what brought me there, due to the stress and pressure I was putting myself under.
And suddenly there I was, wanting to work again after months of freedom, 30 years old, in a very new job and on a 5-week sick leave, which was only the beginning of the healing process. Honestly, even though it was unplanned, it probably didn’t look very good to my employer at the time. And guess what? It was a wake-up call. Another one.
I still think of last year as one of the best that ever happened to me, even though this one also looks very promising (and don’t even get me started on 2020, which will totally rock). 😊 But last year was the year I grew up and realized that life really is shorter than we think. It is precious and ours to live. I realized I never again want to get to a stage where coffee with friends is a luxury, where reading a book is something you do once a year while lying on a beach or where riding your bike is something you only dream of. And for what? Recognition that might never come? Some more money? It is not worth it, at least not to me.
So now, I am working hard to do all the things I want to do whenever I feel like it – even during the working week. But most of all, I am happy. Maybe happier than I’ve ever been. And definitely happier than I was when I started this blog. Which in itself is a thing I didn’t expect a year ago. This blog gave me the option to express my creativity, which I now also get to do in my awesome job. I am now in a place where I learn something new every day and create something new every day. And I love it.
And on the travel note of this post: Since I’ve started this blog (I and we)’ve been to Berlin, Sicily, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macedonia, Serbia, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, Oman, Turkey, a Pink concert and we even travelled around Slovenia for a bit. That seems like a lot for a year (and a bit) when you put it on paper.
We camped in the middle of nowhere, AirBnB’d, slept on floors, buses, trains, cars, airplanes and sometimes even in proper beds in fancy hotels. We scuba dived, jumped out of planes (this was Žiga, not me, obviously), read a ton of books, ziplined and did a rafting trip in Bovec, Slovenia. And we even tried lobster that one time in Oman – I got to cross that off my bucket list.
And what is more important – we still have a few places to go by the end of this year. We’ll keep you posted. As always, follow our Instagram, Facebook page or return to check up on new blog posts. And a big thank you for reading.
xoxo,
Mojca