Dear reader,
Words cannot do justice to how wonderful my sabbatical has been. There's serious privilege involved in leading a purposeless life; well, not completely purposeless since the whole idea of the break was to convalesce from the disillusionment and fatigue I experienced at my previous workplace. It took me a couple of weeks to move on from the idea of working and I honestly haven't a clue how time flew by for a bit. Don't get me wrong though. Just because I haven't written in 4 months doesn't mean nothing has happened. On the contrary, I've become circumspect about revealing too much on this blog. On the few occasions I started to write, the words, sentences and ideas came out jumbly and pointless. Reading this now isn't going to change your life either. I just wanted to wrap up 2021 neatly and 4 months to the day from my last post felt like the right moment to do so, since I'm heading back to Bombay at the start of the next year to begin a new job.
Yes, I'm taking the plunge once again into the shark-infested sea that's advertising. No, it's not because I crave structure (addressing a point raised by Anonymous in a previous post). Truth be told, I can live this simple, hassle-free life for a long time, forever even. I cannot get tired of staring out my bedroom window, which has framed 4 seasons this year. Right now, savouring the halcyon experience of Pune winter, I want for nothing. Except perhaps surety on how to keep this going without having to resort to corporate life. I wasn't able to crack that code just yet. Rather, it didn't feel urgent enough to address. Call it laziness or PTSD (and the last few years have been professionally traumatic). That's what I meant by privilege. Having tasted this way of life, understood what it entails (financially) to sustain it and being strengthened by knowing I can now walk away from corporate cacophony anytime, I've chosen to bulwark this living while time is on my side. So, I made the call to embrace 9:30 - 6 existence. Besides, I feel like there's unfinished business, something to prove to myself in this profession.
This isn't some 'last dance' situation. I'm neither as driven nor as talented as MJ or anyone else who aims for sustained success in any kind of work. In advertising, there are more good days than bad and as a good friend is wont to say, there's many a slip between cup and lip to reckon with too. It can wear you down pretty quickly. At least it did me. Also, I do want to move over the to client side sooner rather than later. So, while this isn't the last throw of the die, I can see the finish line in the distance, which can often provide the adrenaline one needs to keep going.
In non-work news, I discovered that one of the perils of being out of the dating scene for an extended period of time is the propensity to become rather too malleable to others' views without stopping to consider one's own. Atrophied social skills and gratefulness for even the slightest spark can do that. Another danger is discussing one's fledgling dating situations with friends. While they may have my best interests at heart, their advice is essentially their own experience, so there's a point where you realise they're not really hearing you or your concerns. It's best to fall on one's own sword, as it were. Since we live and learn, the only way forward is to keep bumbling on and discover what's possible.
Finally, a development that's on the intersection between work and life; I bought a car. Basically, COVID means I don't want to use public transport as much. It's easier and faster to commute between home and Bombay by car than by bus. And alas, the faithful old steed, aka the Kinetic, is a bit of a risk due to its age and lack of registration.
That's that. Thanks for reading. Best wishes for 2022.
Song for the moment: Driver's Seat - Sniff 'n' the Tears
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