A reflection on unplugging in order to work again
Greetings from D.C.
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. ~ Anne Lamott
When my employment unexpectedly ended two months ago, a near and dear friend implored me to unplug from my normal modus operandi and rather plug into a totally new way of being. She challenged me to do everything counter to what my hard wiring would otherwise have me do—such as immediately updating the resume, calling the headhunter, reaching out to my network, finding project-based work, etc. Instead, her challenge required an acknowledgement on my part that the only way to start back up was through a total system reboot.
How grateful am I to have both received and heeded this advice!
Over the course of the last eight weeks, I have recharged my whole being—physically, intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually.
I have transversed hundreds of miles over more than 100,000 steps through the neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. and the trails of Rock Creek Park, the Potomac Gorge ecosystem and Shenandoah National Park.
I have canoed on the Potomac River (📸: Sycamore Island) and standup paddle-boarded in the Pohick Bay.
I have rediscovered my inner “Rosie the Riveter” through many-a-DIY-home project, such as creating a screen door, tiling my kitchen backsplash, power-washing and staining my deck and patio, amongst others.
I have recommitted to my daily dhyana (meditation) practice and begun exploring the tangental practice of mindfulness.
I have embraced “doing the (inner) Work” surrounding my tendencies towards codependency and perfectionism.
I have filled countless pages across tens of journals (my favourite being Washington, D.C.’s own Appointed) with notes, thoughts, secrets, dreams, fears.
I have read books such as Tara Mohr’s Playing Big and Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection and re-read favourites such as Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, Lodro Rinzler’s The Buddha Walks into a Bar and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.
Though an unfortunate situation, I chose to leverage these first months of unemployment to unplug and re-program myself so that I can literally and figuratively work again. Thankfully, we don’t need to find ourselves unemployed to find moments in which to recharge ourselves. I’ll offer more in the future on simple ways to do this, but it can start with rolling out your mat or sitting on your cushion and connecting to your body, breath and mind.
I hope to see you this week as we work towards unplugging and working again. As always, please reach out to connect.
With gratitude,
XO
