Grouping this together to reflect on what has happened since being back.

By luck or by fate, my grandma passed exactly a month after I returned to the country.

My grandma was the matriarch of our family for as long as I can remember. An active member of her community, she was fiercely independent, with equal emphasis on fierce and independent. It is a jarring feeling to say goodbye to someone you’ve known all your life. I’m grateful to have had the time to visit in the weeks leading up to it.

I started my job search process in December.

There is something uniquely degrading about the job search process today. You are essentially putting yourself out there to gain approval from others. Rejections in the job market feel almost like a signal that you are longer of use to society. In an era of AI recruiting, I am incredibly thankful that the interactions I had with the HR and interviewers felt very respectful and human! Process wrapped up in Feb, job started mid March.

I realise that the exciting experiences and all the good things I felt over the course of the sabbatical didn’t necessarily correct the underlying emotions that I had with work.

As soon as I started applying for jobs, all the worries, concerns and frustrations came back. I realised that I needed a separate period of time to deal with all these underlying issues, aside from the exciting growth in other areas that I had previously pursued with other areas.

How do I keep the learnings and takeaways that I had over the past year?

Amidst everything, the key question remains of building a life that I want to live. To living each day intentionally, until the next adventure!