End of the Sabbatical

This is my first full week back at work. I am excited about the new role, a project manager for a small independant insurance agency. I am trying to learn a whole new industry and take my experience with Hanes and help improve their tools and workflows. It a great environment and such a breath of fresh air compared to the "always a crisis" mode I was in before.

Reflecting on my almost 11 months off, I learned a few things:
1. Stuff I don't want to do like cleaning closets and organizing old photos still wont get done if there are more fun things to do. No matter how much time you have.
2. I dropped a lot of my monthly expenses and don't really miss them....digital cable, brewed coffee at home instead of a Starbucks Latte each morning, and eating out lunch every day.
3. I won't be board when I get to retire (as long as I keep my health)
4. If I dont have to leave the house, I will still be found in my pajamas well after lunch working on the computer. And its nice for your stomach to signal lunch time rather than a clock, lunch was often more a mental break than about really eating.
5. Life is all about tradeoffs of time and money. Now that I am back to work I probably won't spend two hours doing the grocery shopping and sorting through coupons for the best deals.

I loved having the opportunity to take classes, travel, spend time with friends and family that I wouldn't have ben able to do if I wansn't laid off. And, it has helped me decide what type of jobs I will and will not apply for in the future based on my desire for work-life balance.

I feel lucky to have had the break.....