Happy Spring! I love cat drawings. March is both the best and the worst — but I am with you, that extra bit of sunlight is such a joy. As a person who is also carving my own path, professionally and financially, I think this quote is so important:
"Remain open, remain flexible, but have clear boundaries so that you don’t slip back into that danger zone of not being the master of your own time—or worse, risk burnout all over again."
Like, this is it. it's the whole deal — your time is your own, and the second we forget that, everything else goes up in smoke.
Yes, more of this! I love your cat drawings and your reflections on bits of life. And the reminder to take time to travel and see other places. Thanks, Jenna 🌸
I feel like we're on slightly opposite tracks! I had a winter/spring (is it too business-y to call it a Q1?) that was filled with activity and certainty -- fixed places wherein I committed myself to being, with no time to wonder too much about why I'm doing any of it or what it all means. I said to myself, "I'll process all of this when I have a chance to sit still." Your comment about committing yourself and making decisions specifically to stave off uncertainty resonated hard, hah.
Now April has dawned and I'm expressly not going anywhere or doing anything big for the next 2.5 months, and right on schedule, the thoughts have all flooded in and I'm recognizing that I'm embarking on a season of having to sit with discomfort and lack of control again. The thing that keeps peeking up for me is that while I enjoy many professional ventures, none of them bring me the consistent, unquestionable fulfillment that my personal life does. I'm lucky that it's not a one-or-the-other choice in life, but it's funny to look back on my now year-and-a-half of exploring different things I may want to do for work and realize that the thing that I want to do the most is just hang out with my family. Which brings up all sorts of feminist feelings about work and self-worth. Guess there's no more putting off dealing with all of that in the months to come!
Thank you for always for so generously opening up a dialogue about these issues, Jenna. It's very appreciated.
I love DC in the spring. I used to go there a lot when I was going to college in Virginia. I was imagining myself living there after graduation, like many of my peers do, but I ended up on the other side of the coast! Well, such is life! Thanks for sharing your trip there with your family :)
More cat pics, please! A lovely drawing. We had to let our gorgeous cat go at the end of last year 😞 so I will take all I can get right now!
Happy Spring! I love cat drawings. March is both the best and the worst — but I am with you, that extra bit of sunlight is such a joy. As a person who is also carving my own path, professionally and financially, I think this quote is so important:
"Remain open, remain flexible, but have clear boundaries so that you don’t slip back into that danger zone of not being the master of your own time—or worse, risk burnout all over again."
Like, this is it. it's the whole deal — your time is your own, and the second we forget that, everything else goes up in smoke.
I wrote this a few weeks back about my own inability to deal with uncertainty, I thought you might enjoy it! https://open.substack.com/pub/onpurposeproject/p/cultivating-patience-to-be-present?r=f96pn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
here for all of this 🙌
i echo more cat drawings and loved the way you meandered through this post. best of luck to your family!
Happy Spring, Jenna! Let's hope this cold weather is behind us. Maybe 😅 And thanks so much for the mention. I'm so glad my essay resonated with you. 💚
Yes, more of this! I love your cat drawings and your reflections on bits of life. And the reminder to take time to travel and see other places. Thanks, Jenna 🌸
I feel like we're on slightly opposite tracks! I had a winter/spring (is it too business-y to call it a Q1?) that was filled with activity and certainty -- fixed places wherein I committed myself to being, with no time to wonder too much about why I'm doing any of it or what it all means. I said to myself, "I'll process all of this when I have a chance to sit still." Your comment about committing yourself and making decisions specifically to stave off uncertainty resonated hard, hah.
Now April has dawned and I'm expressly not going anywhere or doing anything big for the next 2.5 months, and right on schedule, the thoughts have all flooded in and I'm recognizing that I'm embarking on a season of having to sit with discomfort and lack of control again. The thing that keeps peeking up for me is that while I enjoy many professional ventures, none of them bring me the consistent, unquestionable fulfillment that my personal life does. I'm lucky that it's not a one-or-the-other choice in life, but it's funny to look back on my now year-and-a-half of exploring different things I may want to do for work and realize that the thing that I want to do the most is just hang out with my family. Which brings up all sorts of feminist feelings about work and self-worth. Guess there's no more putting off dealing with all of that in the months to come!
Thank you for always for so generously opening up a dialogue about these issues, Jenna. It's very appreciated.
I love DC in the spring. I used to go there a lot when I was going to college in Virginia. I was imagining myself living there after graduation, like many of my peers do, but I ended up on the other side of the coast! Well, such is life! Thanks for sharing your trip there with your family :)