I’ve written about my 4th work anniversary at Automattic, 1st sabbatical, and 6th work anniversary. But I’ve long since passed my 10th work anniversary (approaching my 12th!) and my 2nd sabbatical and haven’t yet written about it, so I’ll remedy that today.
Automatticians can take a sabbatical every five years, 3 months of paid time off. So, as my second sabbatical approached, I had the idea of repeating my first sabbatical’s travel around Costa Rica and Panama. But, you know, as it got closer, my mind kind of shifted gears. I realized I needed to just take each day as it came, doing whatever felt right. A big part of that turned out to be watercolor painting. We ditched the grand trip idea and opted for smaller road trips mixed with lots of chill time at home in Albuquerque – gardening, hiking, and hanging out with the family.
On the journaling front, I’ve never been one to keep a diary, but I decided to give it a shot with the Day One app. The goal was simple: record what I was doing so I wouldn’t forget, keep a daily log of activities, and maybe throw in a photo or two. Nothing fancy. And it turned out pretty well – I managed to log 106 entries!
So, what did I get up to? We started with a bang, seeing The Who in Dallas. Mother’s Day was back in South Dakota and Minnesota, helping move my mom into a memory care facility. We went complete Marvel nerd, binging all the movies and series, and saw ‘Love and Thunder’ in the theater. The hiking trails around Albuquerque were a highlight, especially this eerie trek to a 1955 plane crash site. Mexico was calling, so we hit Puerto Peñasco twice – first on a scouting trip, then with the kids and our RV. Fishing trips to Navajo Lake and Bluewater Lake were fun, even if the fish weren’t biting. And hey, I can now tick off seeing ZZ Top live. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I went mainly because my boys wanted to see them, but I had fun, too!
Then there was our Colorado stint – two weeks of hiking, exploring places like the Black Canyon and Manitou Springs. At home, I got my hands dirty in the garden, did some estate sale shopping, stocked up on art supplies, and revamped my home office.
Reading was on the agenda, too. I got through Atomic Habits, Making of a Manager, and others.
And the watercolor painting? That was my daily retreat. Most of my work is on Instagram and Tumblr if you’re curious.
The sabbatical was everything I needed. It gave me time to recharge and rediscover aspects of my life away from work. Can’t wait for the next one!
Karen Alma